UC Riverside

This dissertation explores the politics surrounding women's authority and power in the affairs of state governance and religion in ancient Mesoamerican societies. While the goal is to elucidate the political and social relations of pilgrimage practices in the Maya and Veracruz regions, this research notes that despite the abundant material evidence that points to women's leadership positions in the pilgrimage practices of the Postclassic period (A.D. 1000-1519), women remain absent from archaeological narratives. Using feminist and historical materialist methodologies it deconstructs archaeological stereotypes regarding the public vs. private spheres of ancient society, queries models of fertility that define women's social roles in terms of dependency, and interrogates narratives that link gender relations to nature where they are beyond critique. It utilizes archaeological, epigraphic, and iconographic sources to demonstrate that women in the Classic period (A.D. 300-1000) participated in a multi-regional pilgrimage network that entitled them to some of the highest positions of political, religious and military power. This history is important for understanding the prominence of Postclassic priestesses. Research carried out at the British Museum focused on the Nepean Collection, the largest collection of artifacts from the Postclassic pilgrimage site of Isla de Sacrificios in Veracruz, Mexico. The analysis of figurines and spindle whorls found in this collection indicate a previously ignored feminine component to pilgrimage relations which is explained in terms of a larger regional history. Finally, this research reclaims and refashions the fertility narrative by demonstrating that ancient Mesoamerican women controlled their reproduction rights within the context of Postclassic pilgrimage practices.