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This is a follow-up question to: "Why did druidesses vow perpetual virginity?"

What was the Aztec religion's view of virginity? Did they, like the Romans with their vestal virgins, view virginity as a sort of stored-up power upon which their civilization depended? Or did they think the survival of their civilization depended primarily upon human sacrifice?

The 1531 apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Virgin Mother of God, ushered in the end of human sacrificing for the Aztecs and the baptism of 9 million within a span of 3 years. Did the Aztecs begin honoring virginity after 1531?

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  • Do note that a Vestal Virgin's virginity only seemed to work for c. 30 years after which a new Vestal was chosen. And even then the Vestal Virgins where not always virgins, although selecting a Vestal Virgin without her chastity intact would be considered unlucky.
    – Tom Sol
    Jul 21, 2020 at 19:03
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    @Tom Yes, they weren't all perpetual virgins.
    – Geremia
    Jul 21, 2020 at 22:28
  • I'm kind of bummed, no one has given a better answer. I did do research for the question, and I think it's close to right. This is part of the problem with ultra-picky demands for answers - I gave an approximate but imperfect answer, got voted down, and yet no one has done better. I've been reluctant to contribute to mythology since then. Let me know if you have found anything more substantial for the question.
    – DWKraus
    Dec 19, 2020 at 19:04
  • @DWKraus "_Let me know if you have found anything more substantial for the question. _" No, I haven't. What are you looking for specifically?
    – Geremia
    Dec 20, 2020 at 4:29
  • I was just interested to know if you had found answers to your question, since no one else gave one. I was curious.
    – DWKraus
    Dec 20, 2020 at 6:07

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1950's conservative:

While I'm not an expert, from what I can find, the Aztecs had an attitude about sex that would have fit in the 1950's. Virginity was expected of women when they married, less so for men. Prostitutes were semi-official, but infidelity was punishable by death, as was homosexuality or sodomy of any kind. Naturally, "punishable by death" takes on a gruesome definition for the Aztecs; read up on it at your own peril.

It looks like there had been a thought at one point historically that virginity had something to do with human sacrifice, but the attitude on the subject has changed. Also, a lot of the understanding of Aztec sexuality has been filtered through the Catholic church, which documented much of Aztec practice.

https://historycollection.com/16-enlightening-truths-about-how-the-aztec-culture-handled-their-desires/

https://www.ranker.com/list/love-and-relationships-in-aztec-empire/katia-kleyman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Aztec_civilization

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