Commoner Ritual and Ideology in Ancient Mesoamerica
Will be published approx. on 1. December 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-60732-588-8 (ISBN)
Description
Were most commoners in ancient Mesoamerica poor? In a material sense, yes, probably so. Were they poor in their beliefs and culture? Certainly not, as Commoner Ritual and Ideology in Ancient Mesoamerica demonstrates.
This volume explores the ritual life of Mesoamerica's common citizens, inside and outside of the domestic sphere, from Formative through Postclassic periods. Building from the premise that ritual and ideological expression inhered at all levels of society in Mesoamerica, the contributors demonstrate that ideology did not emanate solely from exalted individuals and that commoner ritual expression was not limited to household contexts. Taking an empirical approach to this under-studied and under-theorized area, contributors use material evidence to discover how commoner status conditioned the expression of ideas and values.
Revealing complex social hierarchies that varied across time and region, this volume offers theoretical approaches to commoner ideology, religious practice, and sociopolitical organization and builds a framework for future study of the correlation of ritual and ideological expression with social position for Mesoamericanists and archaeologists worldwide.
This volume explores the ritual life of Mesoamerica's common citizens, inside and outside of the domestic sphere, from Formative through Postclassic periods. Building from the premise that ritual and ideological expression inhered at all levels of society in Mesoamerica, the contributors demonstrate that ideology did not emanate solely from exalted individuals and that commoner ritual expression was not limited to household contexts. Taking an empirical approach to this under-studied and under-theorized area, contributors use material evidence to discover how commoner status conditioned the expression of ideas and values.
Revealing complex social hierarchies that varied across time and region, this volume offers theoretical approaches to commoner ideology, religious practice, and sociopolitical organization and builds a framework for future study of the correlation of ritual and ideological expression with social position for Mesoamericanists and archaeologists worldwide.
Reviews / Votes
"The best treatment of the subject matter to date."- Marcello A. Canuto, Yale University
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Colorado
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: From 18 to 99 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
564 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-60732-588-8 (9781607325888)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Nancy Gonlin is a Mesoamerican archaeologist who specializes in daily and nightly practices, household studies, and inequality. She serves as co-editor of the Cambridge journal Ancient Mesoamerica. Her publications include the co-edited volumes Commoner Ritual and Ideology in Ancient Mesoamerica, Ancient Households of the Americas, and Human Adaptation in Ancient Mesoamerica. She is co-author of Copan: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Maya Kingdom. Watch her TEDx talk "Life After Dark in the Ancient World" here.
Jon C. Lohse is a research associate at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Principal Investigator at Coastal Environments, Inc.
Jon C. Lohse is a research associate at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Principal Investigator at Coastal Environments, Inc.
Content
Contents List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1. Commoner Ritual, Commoner Ideology: (Sub-)Alternate Views of Social Complexity in Prehispanic Mesoamerica Jon C. Lohse 2. Tradition and Transformation: Village Ritual at Tetimpa as a Template for Early Teotihuacan Gabriela Urunuela and Patricia Plunket 3. Commoner Ritual at Teotihuacan, Central Mexico: Methodological Considerations Luis Barba, Agustin Ortiz, and Linda Manzanilla 4. Ritual and Ideology Among Classic Maya Rural Commoners at Cop n, Honduras Nancy Gonlin 5. Smoke, Soot, and Censers: A Perspectiva on Ancient Commoner Household Ritual Behavior from the Naco Valley, Honduras John G. Douglass 6. Commoner Rituals, Resistance, and the Classic-to-Postclassic Transition in Ancient Mesoamerica Arthur A. Joyce and Errin T. Weller 7. Shrines, Offerings, and Postclassic Continuity in Zapotec Religion Marcus Winter, Robert Markens, Cira Martinez Lopez, and Alicia Herrera Muzgo T. 8. Altar Egos: Domestic Ritual and Social Identity in Postclassic Cholula, Mexico Geoffrey G. McCafferty 9. A Socioeconomic Interpretation of Figurine Assemblages from Late Postclassic Morelos, Mexico Jan Olson 10. Steps to a Holistic Household Archaeology Mark W. Mehrer List of Contributors Index