Abstract

LOPEZ HERNANDEZ, Miriam. The alterity of the female body during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium, among both ancient and contemporary Nahuas. Cuicuilco. Rev. cienc. antropol. [online]. 2017, vol.24, n.70, pp.89-112. ISSN 2448-8488.

This article deals with three constructions that the Nahuas of the 16th and 21st centuries elaborated regarding the different stages of the female body and female sexual life. Firstly, the damage caused by menstruating women, pregnant women, women who died during childbirth and postpartum women; specifically, the men with whom they copulate, the children who visit them, those who are close to them, or those who come into contact with their blood-soiled clothing. The second aspect covered is the vulnerability of the female body during menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium. In these states, the mood of women changes because their tonaltin are weak; thus, they become susceptible to disease and may even die. The third point dealt with focuses on the potency of female blood and the female body. Women have used their own blood to calm violent husbands, to get them to love them, and to weaken them. Likewise, magical powers were attributed to different parts of the body of women who died during their first childbirth; their owners used them to succeed in battle, to increase their courage and to cause people to faint.

Keywords : Menstruation; Pregnancy; Childbirth; Puerperium; Nahuas.

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