 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||
             |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Long before the first European set foot in what is now Mexico, indigenous women not only followed their male fellow-tribesmen into battle but in many instances took up the arms of those killed or wounded and stood shoulder to shoulder with the tribe's warriors. Archeologists believe that over a period of time the most valiant of these women became enshrined as war goddesses. The best evidence of this comes from myths and records of the Mexicas, the tribe that came into the Valley of Mexico from the North and recreated themselves as the Aztecs. One of their legends as recorded in the Selden Codex (AD.1035) tell us about a Warrior Princess named Six Monkey who defended her right to the throne by personal force of arms. The Codex has a pictograph of her, armed with a spear and carrying a shield, capturing a prisoner. While she is a mythical character, experience has led historians to believe that most myths are based on actual events, perhaps exaggerated.
There are artifacts in various Mexican museums that clearly depict women, either human or mythical, armed with swords and carrying shields. As time went by the male warriors introduced male war Gods and the female warrior/goddesses were forgotten but this did not end women's presence on the battlefield. Now they were relegated to serving the male warriors by cooking food and carrying supplies. Many of these women were the wives of male soldiers. At the same time another group was organized to give sexual pleasure to the younger, unmarried men. At times some of these women did take up arms but this was not encouraged. Instead, they were expected to act as cheerleaders, spurring the warriors on to greater efforts. However, the idea of women warriors was firmly implanted in the native Mexican culture.
When the Conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they were accustomed to using women as a Quartermaster Corps. The word Soldadera that has come to describe Mexican Women soldiers came with the Spaniards. In Spain they had used women to take their pay, the soldada, and buy them food and other supplies. They continued to depend on them in the New World but now Indian women took over the task. Since they could no longer buy food, they were forced to forage, often seizing things by force of arms.
It is very difficult to find absolutely accurate facts about the role of women in the Conquest of Mexico in the standard histories of Mexico. In her book, "SOLDADERAS IN THE MEXICAN MILITARY" the author, Elizabeth Salas, an associate professor of Chicano studies at the University of Washington claims that at least 8 "Castilian" women came to the New World and joined Cortes. She names them and lists their exploits. Yet the name of only one of them, Maria de Estrada, is mentioned by Prescott in his " History of the Conquest."
He confirms that she fought valiantly in the retreat from Tenochtitlan and also says that there were "several women, both native and Spaniards" with the retreating Conquistadors. Perhaps when Prescott published his book in 1843, details about the actions of the other Spanish women was not available to him.
Bernal Diaz, an eyewitness to the Conquest, mentions none of them by name. However, writing about a banquet in Coyoacan to celebrate the capture of that city that came at the very end of the Conquest, describes a general scene of drunkenness, ending in a dance in which, I quote, "soldiers led out such Spanish ladies as were there." He latter scratched this paragraph from his final manuscript. This again confirms that there were some Spanish women with the Conquistadors.
His account of the Conquest is generally accepted as fairly accurate and since he writes about La Malinche in very flattering terms he does not seem prejudiced toward women. Yet, it is possible that finally male chauvinism led Diaz to completely ignore these women and their exploits in combat and retract his single reference to them. While Mz. Salas describes some of them as. . .
Subscribe and read the complete article including all images . . . "Viva Las Soldaderas".
To talk to me - My E-mail
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
For MexConnect.Com LLC & Conexión México S.A. de C.V. © Mexico Connect 1996-2007 |
||||||||
= Subscribers only
Miguel de Allende
