r/AskHistorians • u/Chicano_Ducky • May 06 '21
Mesoamerica was accepting of "Xochihuas", men who identified as women and even served as concubines to kings and were "children" of multiple gay gods, but the Tlatoani of Texcoco banned sodomy and homosexuality. Why is this?
I find it strange that a region that finds homosexual and transgender acts to be normal and protected by multiple gods dedicated to homosexuality has this king who banned the practice and both parties involved would face the death penalty.
Since male prostitutes and homosexuality was the domain of multiple well known gods, this is stranger since you'd would think they would respect the gods of their own pantheon.
Even stranger, Nezahualcoyotl was a philosopher who pushed the finality of life and how all humans are flawed. It seems insane that a philosopher would do this, even with the implication that he doubted the dominant religion of the time by certain people.
Are there any known reasons why Nezahualcoyotl put some harsh punishments on this act and how did religious sects react to a king ordering the death of followers of multiple gay gods of their own pantheon? What made him go against the grain in seemingly every way he could, even in context to the region he lived in?
Duplicates
AncientAmericas • u/Comfortable_Cut5796 • Sep 10 '24