Women of the Andes

After studying the Indian the peoples in Andes during the sixteenth century, one would be able to conclude that women very much had a specialized niche within society.  It is also apparent that women had status and were valued, but somehow, through time, the image that has been painted of ancient women is one of triviality.

Women were valued economically in the Inca society.  The divisions of labor were the only way to distinguish between male and female within a household; women were not subordinate to men, but rather, served a specialized purpose within the community.  The activities which women were held responsible for were no less critical than the responsibilities of the men because everyone worked to ensure the survival of the community at large.  There also existed a sacred group of virgins that were revered by society and were similar to priestesses.  Despite the clear value of women to Inca society, there still existed a few rather sexist elements within their customs.  For example, the process of donating bridewealth to a bride’s family in exchange for the bride.  Although this was explained as a purely economic strategy of compensating the bride’s family for the loss of a working member, the situation is still archaic and casts the woman as merely a product to be bought and sold.  Another instance of marked sexism occurred when women could only experience alternatives for their assigned economic and social status if they were beautiful.  Whereas men were offered alternatives based on their skill, women were only allowed alternatives based on their looks.  Men had control over their chances of progressing in society, but for women, it was the luck of the draw.  This, like the bridewealth, trivialized women, so although women were said to have equality in the Inca society, there are still instances of a discrepancy of treatment between the sexes.

The crucial element that has solidified women as secondary in this society throughout history seems to be the arrival of the conquistadors.  They so changed the lives of rural women that eventually, women were remembered as “marginal” people (Burkett 111).  The Spaniards demanded women for personal services which was a new concept for the Inca.  The women were required to attend to household services as well as possibly performing sexual acts for their masters.  Many of the women’s lives were changed as they were involuntarily scattered from their familiar rural regions into towns and cities.  Spanish royalty was concerned about the treatment of these women and of the fact that they were not granted sovereignty to wed, and thus, they were basically enslaved.  Despite the attempt of the Spaniards to harness the indigenous women for their personal uses, many women still remained independent and an economically vital.  They controlled the marketplace as well as the distribution of food.

Regardless of the attempts of the Inca women to stay independent, they are rarely noticed in history books in our present society.  A safe theory for explaining this phenomenon would revolve around the appearance of the Spaniards and their complete disruption of the Inca social infrastructure.