Outsiders and Outcasts in the Mexica World

The study of pre-Hispanic societies focuses not only on their most remarkable aspects—their technological developments, military exploits, political events, and economic achievements—but also on the everyday phenomena through which their ideology and identity are reproduced. One such element is the interaction between members of a community and foreigners or socially marginalized figures—those persons on the periphery of a culture who permanently transgress the prevailing social, ethico-moral, and behavioral norms.