The Flower and the Scorpion: Sexuality and Ritual in Early Nahua Culture (Latin America Otherwise)

This is a fascinating book about how sex and sexuality evolved among the Nahuas of Central Mexico.Several major themes stood out:1) "Mutual Monologues" - the situation where Spanish and Nahua appeared to be in conversation with one another but were actually speaking past each other, each walking away with a different understanding of the same speech or text. This especially showed up in situations where Spanish legal and religious norms interacted with Nahua society.2) The Tlazolli complex - this is an explanation of the Nahua emphasis on modernation vs. excess compared to the more strictly binary good vs. evil of the Western world, and in particular the notions of both the use and abuse of excess.3) Social constructivism. What does "sexuality" mean in a society that did not imagine a sexual identity as such? What does "god" even mean in a universe where to some degree everything participates in "teotl"? The author argues that it is still possible to grasp and discuss how colonial Nahuas imagined their world, but it is really important to recognize that modern Western constructs are not universal.4) Mediation in text. The author spends an entire chapter explaining how a lot of codices and alphabetic texts were produced and in particular the role of the tlacuilo, the indigenous scribe. The author emphasizes "the importance of understanding the influences, contemporary and historical, upon the production of the source, its narrative strategy, its political vision, and its treatment of the past" (179). No text is produced by a neutral author - they were produced by authors with particular agenda, goals, perspectives, and intended purposes. For instance, the author describes how Spanish and Nahua authors treated homosexual relations differently as part of a "discourse of conquest" (185) and later provides an extended breakdown of the "Chalca Woman's Song".5) Unfinished Conquest. The author describes how the slate was not wiped clean in 1521 - Nahua people were the overwhelming majority in the Valley of Mexico for centuries to come, and their precolonial ideas still influenced Nahua culture even as that culture itself developed and changed. For instance, in regards to religious rites the author described how certain pre-Christian Nahua beliefs endured because the Nahuas were accustomed to adding religious elements without necessarily discarding the old, because Nahuas were able to interpret Catholic ceremonies or use Catholic spaces in accordance with their own understanding, and because Nahuas were able to perform their own practices at their homes, farms, and in wilderness areas.This is a great book and I would highly recommend it to anyone curious about sex and sexuality in the Nahua world.

great job

Sigal provided a thorough breakdown of what I was looking for. Great read!