“Ancient Peru was dominated by fearsome female monarchs who wielded as much power as their male counterparts for thousands of years”, according to Daily Mail.
Recent research suggests that women in pre-Columbian Peru had very important roles in politics and took part in governing decisions, different from what previous studies suggested.
Historian Maritza Villavicencio suggests in her book “Woman, power, and food in ancient Peru” that there have been sexist attitudes within the research community that haven’t given the proper credits female monarchs should get.
“Ms. Villavicencio looked at female and male remains buried in pre-Hispanic Peru – a vast time period that stretches from 9,500 BC to around 1,500 AD when the country was invaded by the Spanish.”, wrote Daily Mail. They add that “in her book, she argues that women exercised political power in their communities in many different areas of pre-Hispanic Peru, including among the Moche people.”
According to Villavicencio, women have been misinterpreted and made invisible in Peruvian history. “What my book does is propose restoring the memory of the real life of these women.”, she told Daily Mail.
Her book is a result of a 10-year research into the clothing, body art, and burial rituals of ancient Peruvians. It was published by San Martin de Porres University in Lima.
“Traditional books of Peruvian history have said that women were absent when governing decisions were made, but her research shows the opposite, she said.”, you can read in Daily Mail.
