Abstract
By juxtaposing Classic European and Mesoamerican mythohistories about court ship and family beginnings, it is possible to perceive how, at the same time, the Nahua (Aztec) "family" might be construed as a paradigm for empire. However, the Nahuatl language lacks a term for family, and therefore Western applications of the concept simply have no place in Nahua America. Instead, indigenous sociopolitical institutions must be appreciated in their own right. Thus, by exam ining the ancient histories by the Nahuas themselves, we discern how desire, gender complementarity, marriage, fertility, and children as aspects of household are also critical functions of Aztec religion and state.
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