Into the hearts of the Amazons: in search of a modern matriarchy 9780299216405, 9780299216436

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Into the Hearts of the Amazons In Search of a Modern Matriarchy

Tom DeMott

The University of Wisconsin Press 1930 Monroe Street Madison, Wisconsin 53711

www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/

3 Henrietta Street London WC2E 8LU, England Copyright © 2006 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System All rights reserved

I3542

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data DeMott, Tom. Into the hearts of the Amazons : in search of a modern matriarchy /'Tom DeMott.

p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-299-21640-5 (cloth: alk. paper) 1. Zapotec women— Mexico—Juchitan de Zaragoza— History. 2. Zapotec women—Mexico—Juchitan de Zaragoza— Social conditions. 3. Zapotec Indians— Mexico—Juchitan de Zaragoza— Social life and customs. 4. Matriarchy—Mexico—Juchitan de Zaragoza. 5. Juchitan de Zaragoza (Mexico) — History. 6. Juchitan de Zaragoza (Mexico) — Social life and customs.

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Fr221.Z3D44 2006 305.897 6807274 — dc22 2005032818 Terrace Books, a division of the University of Wisconsin Press, takes its name from the Memorial Union Terrace, located at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Since its inception in 1907, the Wisconsin Union has provided a venue for students, faculty, staff, and alumni to debate art, music, politics, and the issues of the day. It is a place where theater, music, drama, dance, outdoor activities, and major speakers are made available to the campus and the community. To learn more about the Union, visit www.union.wisc.edu.

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DARRELL MAUREEN DOLORES

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You should see them arrive like walking towers,

their windows open, their heart like a window, their nocturnal girth visited by the moon. Elena Poniatowska

I am still of the opinion, that only two topics can be of the least interest to a serious and studious mind— sex and the dead. William Butler Yeats

Contents

Acknowledgments ix

The Blue Mortuary 3 The Politician 18 Honoring San Vicente 2.2

The Apologist 34

Lavada 37 The Russian 55 Quintessential Isthmus Women 58

The Kid 67 Vela Zandunga 70

The Spy 89 The Other City Hall 93

The Princess 99 Purse Strings 1O4. The Blasefia 121 Tirada de Frutas 126

The Radical 138 Day of the Dead 143

The Italian 157 Bloqueo 162 Vil

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