Ethnohistoric documents from sixteenth-century Mexico suggesting that weaving and cooking were the most common productive activities for Aztec women m...
GMAT Reading Comprehension : (RC) Questions
Ethnohistoric documents from sixteenth-century Mexico suggesting that weaving and cooking were the most common productive activities for Aztec women may lead modern historians to underestimate the value of women's contributions to Aztec society. Since weaving and cooking occurred mostly (but not entirely) in a domestic setting, modern historians are likely to apply to the Aztec culture the modern Western distinction between "private" and "public" production. Thus, the ethnohistoric record conspires with Western culture to foster the view that women's production was not central to the demographic, economic, and political structures in sixteenth-century Mexico.
A closer examination of Aztec culture indicates that treating Aztec women's production in Mexico in such a manner would be a mistake. Even if the products of women's labor did not circulate beyond the household, such products were essential to population growth. Researchers document a tenfold increase in the population of the valley of Mexico during the previous four centuries, an increase that was crucial to the developing Aztec political economy. Population growth — which could not have occurred in the absence of successful household economy, in which women's work was essential — made possible the large-scale development of labor-intensive chinampa (ridged-field) agriculture in the southern valley of Mexico which, in turn, supported urbanization and political centralization in the Aztec capital.
But the products of women's labor did in fact circulate beyond the household. Aztec women wove cloth, and cloth circulated through the market system, the tribute system, and the redistributive economy of the palaces. Cotton mantles served as a unit of currency in the regional market system. Quantities of woven mantles, loincloths, blouses, and skirts were paid as tribute to local lords and to imperial tax stewards and were distributed to ritual and administrative personnel, craft specialists, warriors, and other faithful servants of the state. In addition, woven articles of clothing served as markers of social status and clothing fulfilled a symbolic function in political negotiation. The cloth that was the product of women's work thus was crucial as a primary means of organizing the flow of goods and services that sustained the Aztec state.
The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about the documents mentioned in the first sentence of the passage?
1. Passage Analysis:
Progressive Passage Analysis
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Ethnohistoric documents from sixteenth-century Mexico suggesting that weaving and cooking were the most common productive activities for Aztec women may lead modern historians to underestimate the value of women's contributions to Aztec society. | What it says: Historical records show Aztec women mainly wove cloth and cooked, which might make today's historians think these women weren't very important. What it does: Sets up the main problem/controversy the passage will address Source/Type: Author's opinion about how historians might interpret evidence Connection to Previous Sentences: This is our opening - establishes the central issue Visualization: Think of it like: Historical documents → Modern historians see "just cooking and weaving" → Conclusion: "Women weren't important" (which the author thinks is wrong) Reading Strategy Insight: The word "may" signals this is a potential problem the author will argue against |
Why It's Wrong:
- The author never suggests the documents contain misleading information about women's activities
- The passage indicates the documents accurately show that weaving and cooking were common activities
- The problem is with interpretation, not with the factual content of the documents
Why It's Wrong:
- The author doesn't argue that the documents fail to mention important activities
- The passage suggests the documents accurately reflect what women commonly did
- The author's argument is about the significance of the documented activities, not about missing activities
Why It's Wrong:
- The passage doesn't discuss how Aztec society viewed women
- The documents are described in terms of what women did, not how they were perceived
- The author's focus is on modern historians' interpretations, not on Aztec perspectives
Why It's Wrong:
- The author doesn't suggest the documents themselves are biased or influenced by those who recorded them
- The problem identified is with modern interpretation, not with the original recording process
- No criticism is made of the document creators or their biases
Why It's Right:
- The documents show accurate information (women's weaving and cooking activities) that modern readers are likely to misinterpret
- The author explicitly states these documents "may lead modern historians to underestimate the value of women's contributions"
- The misinterpretation occurs because modern readers apply inappropriate Western frameworks to Aztec culture
- The entire passage demonstrates how the documented activities were actually much more important than they appear to modern readers