Women of Discord: Female Power in Aztec Thought

This article addresses the perennial debate over the origins and nature of female power by examining the significance of ‘Women of Discord’ in Aztec (more properly, Mexica) culture. Influential, but often troublesome, these formidable figures embody the complex significance of female power, rooted in women's privileged access to the awesome earth forces through childbirth. This chaotic energy lent cosmological and dynastic significance to the mytho-historical Women of Discord, but also led to a persistent female association with disorder which had tangible (and often overlooked) consequences for the lives of ‘real’ women in Aztec culture. This article explores the ways in which beliefs about the female capacity for disruption both reflected and shaped reality, ensnaring all women in a cycle of myth and history which made femininity a source of both authority and apprehension. Importantly, in Tenochtitlan ideas about ‘disorderly women’ did not lead inevitably to their practical subordination or suppression; women held practical markers of influence and esteem in Aztec culture. Thus, the Women of Discord challenge our assumptions about gender by offering a distinctive perspective on the ways in which femininity and fertility may be seen as disruptive, without necessarily debasing women or depriving them of individual agency

Atmospheric Corrosion of Reinforced Concrete Steel in Tropical Coastal Regions

The influence of atmospheric parameters and chloride deposition rate on concrete using an atmospheric corrosion approach is rarely found in literature. Seven exposure sites were selected in Havana, Cuba and two at Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, to expose reinforced concrete samples. Two significantly different atmospheric corrosivity levels have been observed after two years of exposure in Havana depending on atmospheric chloride deposition and the w/c ratio of the concretes. Changes in corrosion current are in accordance with changes in chloride penetration and atmospheric chloride deposition. The influence of sulphur compounds deposition should be considered to study atmospheric corrosion of reinforced steel in concretes either in Havana

Durabilidad del Concreto en Ambiente Urbanos y Urnbano/Marinos de México y España

Trabajo presentado en el III Congreso Nacional ALCONPAT (Asociación Latinoamericana de Control de Calidad, Patología y Recuperación de la Construcción), celebrado en Caracas (Venezuela), en noviembre de 200