Modelar la cabeza: una tradición mesoamericana milenaria desde el Preclásico hasta la actualidad

Abstract

Resumen: El modelado cefálico intencional fue una costumbre prehispánica ampliamente difundida y profundamente arraigada en la vida cotidiana de los pueblos mesoamericanos, en especial los mayas. Tras su prohibición por la Corona española, la tradición fue cayendo en el olvido y hoy en día constituye un tema interesante de investigación abordado desde la perspectiva de la bioarqueología, la antropología física y la etnohistoria. Esta investigación parte de cuestionar este punto: ¿la tradición de modelado cefálico en realidad se extinguió? Para dar respuesta a esta interrogante se realizaron una serie de encuestas y entrevistas en el territorio actual de Guatemala. Los resultados obtenidos y confrontados con lo discutido por la bioarqueología representan una excelente analogía que vislumbra la continuación y la transformación de la tradición prehispánica.Palabras clave: modelado cefálico, mayas contemporáneos, corporeidad, antropología del cuerpo, Guatemala. Abstract:Head shaping was a widespread prehispanic practice deeply rooted in Mesoamerican people's everyday life, especially among the Maya. After the Spanish Conquest, this practice was prohibited and has fallen in disuse, until becoming an interesting research topic for bioarcheology, physical anthropology, and ethnohistory, or, at least, this is what is commonly thought. Our research began by asking this point. Is the cranial shaping tradition really extinct? To address this query, we conducted questionnaires and interviews in the current territory of Guatemala. After that, we compared results with the recent bioarchaeological discussions and

Neurocranial shape variation among Tarascan populations: Evidence for varying degrees in artificially modified crania in pre‐Hispanic West Mexico (1200–1400 AD)

“…The individuals Mich31 sep 33 and Mich31 sep 37‐10 have the highest PC2 scores and their degree of asymmetry far exceeds the range of variation within a normal population (i.e., the control group). Their shape features are probably the consequences of usual cranial modification techniques or daily cranial massages (which were applied to the newborn's head in order to shape it in a certain way; Dingwall, ; Romano, ; Motte‐Florac, ; Tiesler, ; Yon et al, ), but their specific characteristics remain to be explained. Further investigation with larger sample sizes will be necessary to determine whether they were poorly controlled attempts of slight modifications or outcomes of ACM techniques different from the ones employed to produce the NJ1, NJ2, and NJ3 groups.…”