Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory

Berdan, Frances F.

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139017046

Cited by 61 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 154 publications

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“…Although this area was controlled by the Tarascans in the Late Postclassic (Fig. 1), Mesoamerican merchants from virtually all polities operated within and beyond their political boundaries (19). Thus, if turquoise was available from mines in the Tarascan region, then it is plausible the material entered the Aztec realm along with other commodities.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Turquoise figures prominently in Aztec poetry, ritual, and cosmology (12)(13)(14)(15) and was used to make a variety of mosaic objects (for example, ceremonial shields, handles on sacrificial knives, mirrors, diadems, pectorals, armbands, necklaces, noseplugs, and earrings) that were worn or wielded by rulers, priests, or other highstatus individuals in Aztec society (16)(17)(18)(19)(20) and even decorated wolves and other sacred animals (21). Our knowledge of xihuitl (or turquoise) in the Aztec empire primarily derives from 16th century documents and codices that contain textual and pictorial representations of the mineral (17)(18)(19)22). According to the Codex Mendoza, an imperial tribute list, turquoise was sent to the Aztec imperial overlords from two provinces in the southern (Mixteca) area of the empire and from one province in the empire's northeastern corner (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Was Aztec and Mixtec turquoise mined in the American Southwest?

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was Aztec and Mixtec turquoise mined in the American Southwest?

et al. 2018

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“…Pluralized as in Spanish and pronounced me-hee-KA-no, Mexicano today connotes a citizen of Mexico and thus holds for some Nahuas a double meaning: a citizen of the modern nation and a proud descendant of the Aztecs (or, by extension, the other civilizations of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica), even though they may not be direct descendants of the Aztecs themselves. 37 The name "Nahua" designates a speaker of the Nahuatl language; however, it is a term that people recognize but rarely use to identify themselves. The Nahua who live in Amatlán also have a general designation for themselves and, collectively, for all other Native American groups: macehualmeh in Nahuatl, campesinos in Spanish, meaning "countrymen" or "farmers."…”

Section: Copyrighted Materials Not For Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Appendix A: Pilgrimage to Palaxtepetl

Sandstrom¹,

Sandstrom²

2023

Pilgrimage to Broken Mountain: Nahua Sacred Journeys in Mexico's Huasteca Veracruzana

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Preparations for the Journey introduCtion to the ProBlem of keePing to the Path Upon presenting us with the collection of cut-paper figures that he and his fellow ritual specialists had created for the typical pilgrimage to a sacred mountain, our friend and colleague Cirilo emphasized that he wanted everyone to know about the beauty of his religion. He spoke in Spanish with eloquent words of caution and advice:These rituals are not a game, they are our life. I am giving you my sons and daughters, my devotion. I spent my life dedicating offerings to them, and they provide us with maize. God watches over us when we dig and plant maize, and we have to give something back. People no longer respect the things of this world. I am sorry that I am poor and must accept aid to make my offerings. But it is okay, I accept it with the best of intentions. Set up an altar. Follow the correct path. 3 Cirilo's admonition poses a number of intellectual and practical problems. To follow a straight, true, or correct path ("camino derecho")-through life or on the pilgrimage trek-can seem difficult and frustrating. Sometimes the trail deviates or becomes treacherous, leading travelers in the wrong direction and causing them to slip off to one side or the other, or exacerbating errors of judgment and intemperate behavior that can result in disaster. Just as with any religious practice, there is no possibility of success without concentrated focus on a clear goal. Each individual faces the difficult task of recognizing the path and, once becoming aware of it, expending an enormous amount of disciplined effort required to follow it. Pilgrimage is the journey through life writ small. As a practice it provides both the path and the way forward for people willing to listen and learn. It is a significant social phenomenon that traces deep into prehistory and is found in cultures throughout the world. Going on a sacred journey changes people by putting them into direct contact with venerated places. A visit to such a center can alter the position of individuals in their home communities. Countless generations of pilgrims have come to recognize the profound value of this practice for their personal lives. While pilgrimage varies widely among different cultures, it speaks to our common humanity. In this work we present ethnographic information on how one group in Mesoamerica approaches the practice of pilgrimage and addresses the problem of keeping to the path.We describe and analyze religious pilgrimages undertaken by Nahua peoples who live today in the tropical forests of northern Veracruz, Mexico. Nahuas speak the Nahuatl language, and they are heirs to the early civilizations of Mesoamerica, including the Toltec,

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“…Distinctions in social station were accentuated, indeed announced, by highly visible displays-especially the wearing of ornate clothing and adornments that carried specific symbolic meanings. For example, only rulers and highranking noblemen (perhaps only judges) wore turquoise diadems as symbols of power, and only achieved warriors were entitled to wear specifically designed martial attire in battle and rituals (Berdan 2012(Berdan , 2014. The imported luxuries encountered archaeologically in commoner households (see M. E. Smith 2003b) were expensive, but not so symbolically charged.…”

Section: Commodities In Aztec-period Mesoamericamentioning

confidence: 99%

Enduring Nations and Emergent States: Rulership, Subjecthood, and Power in Early Scandinavia

Thurston¹

2016

Alternative Pathways to Complexity: A Collection of Essays on Architecture, Economics, Power, and Cross-Cultural Analysis

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x 3.6. Map: large residential groups, shaft tombs, and guachimontones 4.1. Central valleys of Jalisco, showing settlement patterns for the Postclassic 4.2. Postclassic settlement tiers, based on site size 4.3. Santa María architectural settlement clusters 4.4. Three sections of Santa María, residential groups: highest point of site 4.5. Three sections of Santa María, residential groups: hill 4.6. Three sections of Santa María, residential groups: piedmont 4.7. Late Postclassic ceramic diagnostic forms 5.1. South-central Veracruz: selected sites and regions 5.2. The secondary center of La Mixtequilla 5.3. Summary of facings of SPPGs and Long Plaza Plans 5.4. Mixtequilla survey: SPPG variants 6.1. Merchants' feather merchandise 6.2. Aztec tribute demands in quetzal feathers 6.3. Aztec tribute demands in quetzal-feathered devices 7.1. Select archaeological sites, eastern periphery of the Maya lowlands 7.2. Civic centers: Xunantunich, Actuncan, and Buenavista del Cayo, Belize 7.3. Obsidian-to-sherd ratio over time in elite and commoner contexts 8.1. The Småland Plateau 8.2. Sweden, major regions and the "small lands" of Småland 8.3. Four study blocks with varying proximity to Visingsö Island FIGURES xi 8.4. Skärstad-Ölmstad Valley: changing landscape use, Iron Age to Medieval period 202 9.1. Approximate location of kingdom of Bunyoro, nineteenth century 209 10.1. Archaeological sites in northern and southern Mesopotamia 228 10.2. Locations of Indus civilization sites 232 11.1. Floor plan and its graph 242 11.2a. Walangama pil gē, built around 1940 246 11.2b. Floor plan of typical Walangama pil gē 247 11.3a. Walangama California-style house, built in 2011 250 11.3b. Floor plan of typical California-style house 251 11.4. Walangama two-story house under construction in 2013 256 12.1. Relationship between network strategy and natural disasters 263 13.1. Time from first settled agricultural villages to large villages 276 13.2. Village formation and state development in eight world areas where states ultimately developed 277 13.3. Sequence from first sedentary villages to more nucleated centers 278 13.4. Size of largest cities in early states 279 13.5. Internal and external sources of funds 284 13.6. Model of collective action 285 13.7. Relationship between population size, hierarchical complexity, and social capital/ collective action 287 13.8. Relationship between population size and increasing complexity for collective and autocratic organization 288 15.1. Correlation plots for corporate power: public goods and control of principals 319 Tables 1.1. Spacing and size range of centers in the central Mixteca Alta 5.1. Counts of SPPG, partial SPPG, and a Cotaxtla Standard Plan variant 5.2. Monumental complexes or subsidiary segments with single laterals 5.3. Distribution of partial SPPGs in the Mixtequilla settlement hierarchy 6.1. Raw Materials Used in the Manufacture of Feathered Adornments 7.1. Archaeological correlates for approaches to market systems 7.2. Outcomes for Hirth's distributional model of exchange modes 10.1....

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Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory

Cited by 61 publications

References 154 publications

Was Aztec and Mixtec turquoise mined in the American Southwest?

Was Aztec and Mixtec turquoise mined in the American Southwest?

Appendix A: Pilgrimage to Palaxtepetl

Enduring Nations and Emergent States: Rulership, Subjecthood, and Power in Early Scandinavia

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