Sempowski in 1994 carried out an investigation to understand social status within teotihuacan, in particular gender disparity, based on mortuary data. Examination of grave goods was used to determine the social ranking of men in comparison to women. While the data gives a strong indication of the higher ranking of men, it also shows that this was more significant in some residential areas than others, with some areas such as La Ventilla displaying almost no discrepancy. As well as this, the data demonstrated clear variation between residential groups, revealing that Teotihuacan may have had areas divided by class and wealth. In relation to the Teotihuacanos’ value of gender, Sempowski concludes that “Gender is a social principle which one expects to find as a basis for social differentiation in most societies... Emerging from these observations, then, is the rather predictable implication that males held social positions of relatively greater importance at Teotihuacan than did females.” Teotihuacan’s art lacks any reference to a ruler, unlike surrounding Mesoamerican cultures, making it increasingly difficult for archaeologists and historians to interpret the extent to which a hierarchy existed within the society. The Teotihuacan Mapping Project was extremely influential in recording data which suggested that it was governed by a sequence of rulers between 1 and 100 CE, during the time when the temples were constructed. Projects and investigations such as the Mapping Project and Sempowski’s study are imperative in ameliorating our knowledge of the society of
Sempowski in 1994 carried out an investigation to understand social status within teotihuacan, in particular gender disparity, based on mortuary data. Examination of grave goods was used to determine the social ranking of men in comparison to women. While the data gives a strong indication of the higher ranking of men, it also shows that this was more significant in some residential areas than others, with some areas such as La Ventilla displaying almost no discrepancy. As well as this, the data demonstrated clear variation between residential groups, revealing that Teotihuacan may have had areas divided by class and wealth. In relation to the Teotihuacanos’ value of gender, Sempowski concludes that “Gender is a social principle which one expects to find as a basis for social differentiation in most societies... Emerging from these observations, then, is the rather predictable implication that males held social positions of relatively greater importance at Teotihuacan than did females.” Teotihuacan’s art lacks any reference to a ruler, unlike surrounding Mesoamerican cultures, making it increasingly difficult for archaeologists and historians to interpret the extent to which a hierarchy existed within the society. The Teotihuacan Mapping Project was extremely influential in recording data which suggested that it was governed by a sequence of rulers between 1 and 100 CE, during the time when the temples were constructed. Projects and investigations such as the Mapping Project and Sempowski’s study are imperative in ameliorating our knowledge of the society of