Constructing Power and Place in Mesoamerica

Constructing Power and Place in Mesoamerica PDF

Author: Merideth Paxton

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press

Published: 2017-12-15

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0826359078

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Identities of power and place, as expressed in paintings from the periods before and after the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica, are the subject of this book of case studies from Central Mexico, Oaxaca, and the Maya area. These sophisticated, skillfully rendered images occur with architecture, in manuscripts, on large pieces of cloth, and on ceramics.

Constructing Power and Place in Mesoamerica

Constructing Power and Place in Mesoamerica PDF

Author: Merideth Paxton

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 082635906X

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Identities of power and place, as expressed in paintings from the periods before and after the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica, are the subject of this book of case studies from Central Mexico, Oaxaca, and the Maya area. These sophisticated, skillfully rendered images occur with architecture, in manuscripts, on large pieces of cloth, and on ceramics.

Mesoamerican Plazas

Mesoamerican Plazas PDF

Author: Kenichiro Tsukamoto

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 2014-04-10

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0816530580

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"This is the first book to examine the roles of plazas in ancient Mesoamerica. It argues persuasively that physical interactions among people in communal events were not the outcomes of political machinations held behind the scenes, but were the actual political processes through which people created, negotiated, and subverted social realities"--

Unseen Art

Unseen Art PDF

Author: Claudia Brittenham

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2023-01-17

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 1477325964

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An examination of how ancient Mesoamerican sculpture was experienced by its original audiences.

Landscape And Power In Ancient Mesoamerica

Landscape And Power In Ancient Mesoamerica PDF

Author: Rex Koontz

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-02-23

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0429979045

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From the early cities in the second millennium BC to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan on the eve of the Spanish conquest, Ancient Mesoamericans created landscapes full of meaning and power in the center of their urban spaces. The sixteenth century description of Tenochtitlan by Bernal Diaz del Castillo and the archaeological remnants of Teotihuacan attest to the power and centrality of these urban configurations in Ancient Mesoamerican history. In Landscape and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica, Rex Koontz, Kathryn Reese-Taylor, and Annabeth Headrick explore the cultural logic that structured and generated these centers.Through case studies of specific urban spaces and their meanings, the authors examine the general principles by which the Ancient Mesoamericans created meaningful urban space. In a profoundly interdisciplinary exchange involving both archaeologists and art historians, this volume connects the symbolism of those landscapes, the performances that activated this symbolism, and the cultural poetics of these ensembles.

Night and Darkness in Ancient Mesoamerica

Night and Darkness in Ancient Mesoamerica PDF

Author: Nancy Gonlin

Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Published: 2021-12-01

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 1646421876

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Night and Darkness in Ancient Mesoamerica is the first volume to explicitly incorporate how nocturnal aspects of the natural world were imbued with deep cultural meanings and expressed by different peoples from various time periods in Mexico and Central America. Material culture, iconography, epigraphy, art history, ethnohistory, ethnographies, and anthropological theory are deftly used to illuminate dimensions of darkness and the night that are often neglected in reconstructions of the past. The anthropological study of night and darkness enriches and strengthens the understanding of human behavior, power, economy, and the supernatural. In eleven case studies featuring the residents of Teotihuacan, the Classic period Maya, inhabitants of Rio Ulúa, and the Aztecs, the authors challenge archaeologists to consider the influence of the ignored dimension of the night and the role and expression of darkness on ancient behavior. Chapters examine the significance of eclipses, burials, tombs, and natural phenomena considered to be portals to the underworld; animals hunted at twilight; the use and ritual meaning of blindfolds; night-blooming plants; nocturnal foodways; fuel sources and lighting technology; and other connected practices. Night and Darkness in Ancient Mesoamerica expands the scope of published research and media on the archaeology of the night. The book will be of interest to those who study the humanistic, anthropological, and archaeological aspects of the Aztec, Maya, Teotihuacanos, and southeastern Mesoamericans, as well as sensory archaeology, art history, material culture studies, anthropological archaeology, paleonutrition, socioeconomics, sociopolitics, epigraphy, mortuary studies, volcanology, and paleoethnobotany. Contributors: Jeremy Coltman, Christine Dixon, Rachel Egan, Kirby Farah, Carolyn Freiwald, Nancy Gonlin, Julia Hendon, Cecelia Klein, Jeanne Lopiparo, Brian McKee, Jan Marie Olson, David M. Reed, Payson Sheets, Venicia Slotten, Michael Thomason, Randolph Widmer, W. Scott Zeleznik

Western Mesoamerican Calendars and Writing Systems

Western Mesoamerican Calendars and Writing Systems PDF

Author: Mikkel Bøg Clemmensen

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2023-06-08

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 1803274867

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Mesoamerica is one of the few places to witness the independent invention of writing. Bringing together new research, papers discuss the writing systems of Teotihuacan, Mixteca Baja, the Epiclassic period and Aztec writing of the Postclassic. These writing systems represent more than a millennium of written records and literacy in Mesoamerica.

Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica

Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica PDF

Author: Susan Milbrath

Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Published: 2023-12-15

Total Pages: 441

ISBN-13: 1646424611

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Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica links Precolumbian animal imagery with scientific data related to animal morphology and behavior, providing in-depth studies of the symbolic importance of animals and birds in Postclassic period Mesoamerica. Representations of animal deities in Mesoamerica can be traced back at least to Middle Preclassic Olmec murals, stone carvings, and portable art such as lapidary work and ceramics. Throughout the history of Mesoamerica real animals were merged with fantastical creatures, creating zoological oddities not unlike medieval European bestiaries. According to Spanish chroniclers, the Aztec emperor was known to keep exotic animals in royal aviaries and zoos. The Postclassic period was characterized by an iconography that was shared from central Mexico to the Yucatan peninsula and south to Belize. In addition to highlighting the symbolic importance of nonhuman creatures in general, the volume focuses on the importance of the calendrical and astronomical symbolism associated with animals and birds. Inspired by and dedicated to the work of Mesoamerican scholar Cecelia Klein and featuring imagery from painted books, monumental sculpture, portable arts, and archaeological evidence from the field of zooarchaeology, Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica highlights the significance of the animal world in Postclassic and early colonial Mesoamerica. It will be important to students and scholars studying Mesoamerican art history, archaeology, ethnohistory, and zoology.

Mesquite Pods to Mezcal

Mesquite Pods to Mezcal PDF

Author: Verónica Pérez Rodriguez

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2024-02-06

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1477327967

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"This volume explores the roots of traditional Oaxacan food, how it has evolved from its Mixtec origins, and how some traditions exist today; the essays included were written by archaeologists, ethnohistorians, anthropologists, and others with an interest in traditional Oaxacan food"--

Her Cup for Sweet Cacao

Her Cup for Sweet Cacao PDF

Author: Traci Ardren

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2020-12-08

Total Pages: 396

ISBN-13: 1477321667

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For the ancient Maya, food was both sustenance and a tool for building a complex society. This collection, the first to focus exclusively on the social uses of food in Classic Maya culture, deploys a variety of theoretical approaches to examine the meaning of food beyond diet—ritual offerings and restrictions, medicinal preparations, and the role of nostalgia around food, among other topics. For instance, how did Maya feasts build community while also reinforcing social hierarchy? What psychoactive substances were the elite Maya drinking in their caves, and why? Which dogs were good for eating, and which breeds became companions? Why did even some non-elite Maya enjoy cacao, but rarely meat? Why was meat more available for urban Maya than for those closer to hunting grounds on the fringes of cities? How did the molcajete become a vital tool and symbol in Maya gastronomy? These chapters, written by some of the leading scholars in the field, showcase a variety of approaches and present new evidence from faunal remains, hieroglyphic texts, chemical analyses, and art. Thoughtful and revealing, Her Cup for Sweet Cacao unlocks a more comprehensive understanding of how food was instrumental to the development of ancient Maya culture.

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