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* bioarchaeological data is relatively recent in Mesoamerican
research so this volume provides a wealth of new material * with
Mesoamerica being data-rich by world archeological standards, it
allows for robust interdisciplinary dialogues with related fields
The artificial shaping of the skull vault of infants expresses
fundamental aspects of crafted beauty, of identity, status and
gender in a way no other body practice does. Combining different
sources of information, this volume contributes new interpretations
on Mesoamerican head shaping traditions. Here, the head with its
outer insignia was commonly used as a metaphor for designating the
"self" and personhood and, as part of the body, served as a model
for the indigenous universe. Analogously, the outer "looks" of the
head and its anatomical constituents epitomized deeply embedded
worldviews and longstanding traditions. It is in this sense that
this book explores both the quotidian roles and long-standing
ideological connotations of cultural head modifications in
Mesoamerica and beyond, setting new standards in the discussion of
the scope, caveats, and future directions involved in this study.
The systematic examination of Mesoamerican skeletal series fosters
an explained review of indigenous cultural history through the lens
of emblematic head models with their nuanced undercurrents of
religious identity and ethnicity, social organization and dynamic
cultural shift. The embodied expressions of change are explored in
different geocultural settings and epochs, being most visible in
the centuries surrounding the Maya collapse and following the
cultural clash implied by the European conquest. These glimpses on
the Mesoamerican past through head practices are novel, as is the
general treatment of methodology and theoretical frames. Although
it is anchored in physical anthropology and archaeology
(specifically bioarchaeology), this volume also integrates
knowledge derived from anatomy and human physiology, historical and
iconographic sources, linguistics (polisemia) and ethnography. The
scope of this work is rounded up by the transcription and
interpretation of the many colonial eye witness accounts on
indigenous head treatments in Mesoamerica and beyond.
The artificial shaping of the skull vault of infants expresses
fundamental aspects of crafted beauty, of identity, status and
gender in a way no other body practice does. Combining different
sources of information, this volume contributes new interpretations
on Mesoamerican head shaping traditions. Here, the head with its
outer insignia was commonly used as a metaphor for designating the
"self" and personhood and, as part of the body, served as a model
for the indigenous universe. Analogously, the outer "looks" of the
head and its anatomical constituents epitomized deeply embedded
worldviews and longstanding traditions. It is in this sense that
this book explores both the quotidian roles and long-standing
ideological connotations of cultural head modifications in
Mesoamerica and beyond, setting new standards in the discussion of
the scope, caveats, and future directions involved in this study.
The systematic examination of Mesoamerican skeletal series fosters
an explained review of indigenous cultural history through the lens
of emblematic head models with their nuanced undercurrents of
religious identity and ethnicity, social organization and dynamic
cultural shift. The embodied expressions of change are explored in
different geocultural settings and epochs, being most visible in
the centuries surrounding the Maya collapse and following the
cultural clash implied by the European conquest. These glimpses on
the Mesoamerican past through head practices are novel, as is the
general treatment of methodology and theoretical frames. Although
it is anchored in physical anthropology and archaeology
(specifically bioarchaeology), this volume also integrates
knowledge derived from anatomy and human physiology, historical and
iconographic sources, linguistics (polisemia) and ethnography. The
scope of this work is rounded up by the transcription and
interpretation of the many colonial eye witness accounts on
indigenous head treatments in Mesoamerica and beyond.
This book examines Maya sacrifice and related posthumous body
manipulation. The editors bring together an international group of
contributors from the area studied: archaeologists as well as
anthropologists, forensic anthropologists, art historians and
bioarchaeologists. This interdisciplinary approach provides a
comprehensive perspective on these sites as well as the material
culture and biological evidence found there
This book examines Maya sacrifice and related posthumous body
manipulation. The editors bring together an international group of
contributors from the area studied: archaeologists as well as
anthropologists, forensic anthropologists, art historians and
bioarchaeologists. This interdisciplinary approach provides a
comprehensive perspective on these sites as well as the material
culture and biological evidence found there
The meanings of ritualized head treatments among ancient
Mesoamerican and Andean peoples is the subject of this book, the
first overarching coverage of an important subject. Heads are
sources of power that protect, impersonate, emulate sacred forces,
distinguish, or acquire identity within the native world. The
essays in this book examine these themes in a wide array of
indigenous head treatments, including facial cosmetics and hair
arrangements, permanent cranial vault and facial modifications,
dental decorations, posthumous head processing, and head hunting.
They offer new insights into native understandings of beauty,
power, age, gender, and ethnicity. The contributors are experts
from such diverse fields as skeletal biology, archaeology,
aesthetics, forensics, taphonomy, and art history.
This volume illuminates human lifeways in the northern Maya
lowlands prior to the rise of Chichen Itza. This period and area
have been poorly understood on their own terms, obscured by
scholarly focus on the central lowland Maya kingdoms. Before
Kukulkan is anchored in three decades of interdisciplinary research
at the Classic Maya capital of Yaxuna, located at a contentious
crossroads of the northern Maya lowlands. Using bioarchaeology,
mortuary archaeology, and culturally sensitive mainstream
archaeology, the authors create an in-depth regional understanding
while also laying out broader ways of learning about the Maya past.
Part one examines ancient lifeways among the Maya at Yaxuna, while
part two explores different meanings of dying and cycling at the
settlement and beyond-ancestral practices, royal entombment and
desecration, and human sacrifice. The authors close with a
discussion of the last years of occupation at Yaxuna and the role
of Chichen Itza in the abandonment of this urban center. Before
Kukulkan provides a cohesive synthesis of the evolving roles and
collective identities of locals and foreigners at the settlement
and their involvement in the region's trajectory. Theoretically
informed and contextualized discussions offer unique glimpses of
everyday life and death in the socially fluid Maya city. These
findings, in conjunction with other documented series of skeletal
remains from this region, provide a nuanced picture of the social
and biocultural dynamics that operated successfully for centuries
before the arrival of the Itza.
Excavations of Maya burial vaults at Palenque, Mexico, half a
century ago revealed what was then the most extraordinary tomb
finding of the pre-Columbian world; its discovery has been crucial
to an understanding of the dynastic history and ideology of the
ancient Maya. Over the years, new analytical tools introduced
uncertainties regarding earlier interpretations of the findings,
and a reanalysis of the remains of the ruler Janaab' Pakal using
contemporary methodologies has led to new interpretations of former
accounts of his life and death. The book leads readers through the
history of Pakal's discovery, skeletal analysis, and interpretation
of Maya biographies, and also devotes considerable attention to the
tomb of the ""Red Queen"" discovered at the site. Findings from the
new Transition Analysis aging method, histomorphometric analysis,
and taphonomic imagery are presented to shed new light on the
perplexing question of Pakal's age at death. Royal Maya life and
death histories from the written record are also analyzed from a
regional perspective to provide a broad panorama of the twisted
power politics of rulers' families and the entangled genealogies of
the Maya Classic period. A benchmark in biological anthropology,
this volume reconsiders assumptions concerning the practices and
lives of Maya rulers, posing the prospect that researchers too
often find what they expect to find. In presenting an updated study
of a well-known personage, it also offers innovative approaches to
the biocultural and interdisciplinary re-creation of Maya dynastic
history.
Excavations of Maya burial vaults at Palenque, Mexico, half a
century ago revealed what was then the most extraordinary tomb
finding of the pre-Columbian world; its discovery has been crucial
to an understanding of the dynastic history and ideology of the
ancient Maya. Over the years, new analytical tools introduced
uncertainties regarding earlier interpretations of the findings,
and a reanalysis of the remains of the ruler Janaab' Pakal using
contemporary methodologies has led to new interpretations of former
accounts of his life and death. This volume communicates the broad
scope of applied interdisciplinary research conducted on the Pakal
remains to provide answers to old disputes over the accuracy of
both skeletal and epigraphic studies, along with new questions in
the field of Maya dynastic research. Contributions by scholars in
epigraphy, anthropology, and bioarchaeology bring to light new
evidence regarding the ruler's age, clarify his medical history and
the identification of the remains found with him, reevaluate his
role in life, and offer modern insights into ritual and sacrificial
practices associated with Pakal. The book leads readers through the
history of Pakal's discovery, skeletal analysis, and interpretation
of Maya biographies, and also devotes considerable attention to the
tomb of the "Red Queen" discovered at the site. Findings from the
new Transition Analysis aging method, histomorphometric analysis,
and taphonomic imagery are presented to shed new light on the
perplexing question of Pakal's age at death. Royal Maya life and
death histories from the written record are also analyzed from a
regional perspective to provide a broad panorama of the twisted
power politics of rulers' families and the entangled genealogies of
the Maya Classic period. A benchmark in biological anthropology,
this volume reconsiders assumptions concerning the practices and
lives of Maya rulers, posing the prospect that researchers too
often find what they expect to find. In presenting an updated study
of a well-known personage, it also offers innovative approaches to
the biocultural and interdisciplinary re-creation of Maya dynastic
history.
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