Panelists:
Peter Hunt, Professor of Classics, University of Colorado-Boulder
Gabriel Kruell, Research Associate, Institute of Historical Research at National Autonomous University of Mexico
Paloma Martinez-Cruz, Professor of Latino/a Cultural and Literary Studies, The Ohio State University
Moderator: Bert Harrill, Professor of History, The Ohio State University
Panel Abstract: This panel will contextualize slavery and unfreedom before the age of explorations highlighting various early geographies and communities from the classical world to the Americas. It will cover key aspects that shaped servitude and link to how these materialized through class, gender, culture and law lenses.
Presenter: Peter Hunt
Presentation: “How is the water for running away? The gender of fugitive slaves in the classical world.”
Presentation Abstract: Modern studies suggest that enslaved men were more likely to try to escape slavery than women. Evidence from papyri and “slave collars” confirms that this was also the case in the classical world. This talk will examine the reasons for this disparity in the ancient world and will focus on the gendering of space and work.
Presenter: Gabriel Kruell
Presentation Title: "Tlacoyotl: Pre-hispanic slavery among the Mexica."
Presentation Abstract: This presentation explores the institution of tlacoyotl, a form of slavery practiced among the Mexica (Aztecs) and other Nahua-speaking peoples prior to the Spanish conquest. Far from resembling the racialized and hereditary slavery systems imposed during the colonial period, tlacoyotl was a socially and legally regulated status that could result from debt, punishment, warfare, or poverty-induced voluntary servitude. Drawing on primary sources such as the colonial codices and Indigenous annals, the work examines the multiple pathways into and out of slavery, the various forms of tlacoyotl practiced by the Mexica, the rights and obligations of enslaved individuals and theirs owners, and the broader sociopolitical functions of the tlacotin (slaves) within Mexica society. The analysis further highlights the nuanced role of slavery in daily life, ritual practice, tribute systems, and economic exchange. By situating tlacoyotl within its cultural and legal context, the presentation aims to challenge modern assumptions about slavery and to contribute to a more complex understanding of pre-Hispanic history and Mesoamerican social structures.
Presenter: Paloma Martinez-Cruz
Presentation Title: TBA
Presentation Abstract: TBA
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