Jamail Center for Legal Research

Rare Books & Special Collections

   Family Law

  An Aztec wedding (right) (Codex Mendoza). The newlyweds sit on the straw mat at top with their garments symbolically tied together, while the elders give offerings of food and advice. Divorce was a judicial matter, and the court often tried to reconcile the couple. Property was equally divided in divorce, while the children were divided according to sex (sons with their fathers, etc.). 

Adultery was often punished by stoning the culprits to death. A husband was not punished for extra-marital relations with a single woman, but a woman was required to be faithful to her husband always. In addition, a husband who killed his unfaithful wife was sentenced to death for taking the law into his own hands.