Gender and Mortuary Ritual at Ancient Teotihuacan, Mexico: a Study of Intrasocietal Diversity

Archaeologists increasingly recognize a need to revise the scales at which we investigate identities such as gender, class and faction in ancient complex societies. In this article I present research on the expression of gender roles and ideologies in the performance of mortuary ritual in four disti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cambridge archaeological journal 2011-02, Vol.21 (1), p.31-52
Main Author: Clayton, Sarah C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ancient civilizations
Archaeology
Funerals
Rites & ceremonies
Sex roles
Social life & customs
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Summary:Archaeologists increasingly recognize a need to revise the scales at which we investigate identities such as gender, class and faction in ancient complex societies. In this article I present research on the expression of gender roles and ideologies in the performance of mortuary ritual in four distinctive residential areas of Classic Teotihuacan, including the urban compounds of La Ventilla 3, Tlajinga 33 and Tlailotlacan 6 and the hinterland settlement of Axotlan. Results indicate that gender was constructed and experienced differently across Teotihuacan society. This research demonstrates that multiscalar, comparative approaches to social identity make possible a fuller understanding of the significance of social heterogeneity in structuring early states.
ISSN:0959-7743
1474-0540
DOI:10.1017/S0959774311000023