[Aztlan] Homosexuality in Nahuatl

[Allen Johnson]

Though not related to Kimball's work or exclusivley Nahuatl, I have a few notes that may or may not be of some use:
   
  Father Diego de Landa in Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán (1566) said that he found no evidence of homosexuality among the Mayan as he had in other parts of the world (pp. 124)
   
  Cieza de León in The Incas said that they did not allow, “anyone they knew to practice it to enter their homes or palaces.”  He said, “they despised those who used it” and looked “down on them as vile and contemptible for glorying in such filth.” (pp.179)
   
  Fernando de Montesinos in Memorias Antiguas Historiales y Políticas del Perú told of an invasion from Panama through the Andes to Cuzco .  He said the invaders were barbarians who were heavily involved in homosexual activities. (pp. 67)  He continues on in pages 69-70 to tell about the women who tried herbs and other methods to cure their husbands of this “problem”.  He did note that not all were involved with homosexual activities.
   
  Del Castillo in The Conquest of New Spain told the natives to give up their practices of sodomy (apparently some of the “girls” that were presented to the Spaniards as gifts were boys dressed as women) (pp. 121-122)  
   
  Hope this helps,
  Allen


Caroline Dodds <ced44 at cam.ac.uk> wrote:
  Dear colleagues,

I am doing some work on homosexuality and 'unconventional' sexuality and gender identity in Aztec culture and wondered if anyone had any opinions on Geoffrey Kimball's retranslations of the Florentine Codex passages on homosexuality. The article reference is: Geoffrey Kimball, 'Aztec Homosexuality: the Textual Evidence', Journal of Homosexuality, 26.1 (1993), pp.7-24. Whilst his suspicion of the Dibble and Anderson translation seems reasonable at times, however, his own interpretations often seem a little loaded with modern references, so I would be very interested to hear any thoughts on his retranslations. In particular, he takes issue with the use of the term 'patlache' to mean 'hermaphrodite', contending that it should instead be translated as 'homosexual woman' and that the 'correct' term for hermaphrodite is 'cihuaoquichtli'. 

This material is intended to form a small section of a larger book on life and gender in Tenochtitlan, but is proving rather tricky to pin down! (I am sure it will provide the basis for some later more specialised work as well now.) I would be very grateful for any thoughts and opinions (on- or off-list) on Kimball's work, and also any additional references or pointers which people might care to offer on homosexuality, hermaphroditism, and transvestism in Tenochtitlan. 

Best wishes and thanks,
Caroline Dodds
------
Dr. Caroline Dodds
Junior Research Fellow
Sidney Sussex College
Cambridge
CB2 3HU

Tel: 01223 (3)30867
Mob: 07740675610
Email: ced44 at cam.ac.uk
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