Playing with Power: Ballcourts and Political Ritual in Southern Mesoamerica [and Comments and Reply]

Cultura de paso de la amada, creadora del ‘juego de pelota’ mesoamericano / Culture of paso de la amada, creator of ‘mesoamerican ballgame’

“…La cancha de Paso de la Amada es la mayor construcción de su tiempo en Mesoamérica, y causa de la aparición de la primera jefatura mesoamericana, según Fox (1996).…”

Exploring Social Organization Through the Built Environment: Cosmological Foundations for Power at Paquimé, Chihuahua, Mexico

“…There is a body of ethnographic work that has elaborated on the lineage critique and the emphasis on residence (Errington, 1989;Fox 1993;Gillespie 2000;McKinnon 1991McKinnon , 1995McKinnon , 2000aMcKinnon , 2000bNg 1993;Sather 1993;Waterson 1990;Whiteley 2008). This research, starting with a definition put forward by Levi-Strauss, has looked to the physical structure of the house as an indicator of social relatedness.…”

“…Levi-Strauss provided the first definition of a house society as: a corporate body holding an estate made up of both material and immaterial wealth, which perpetuates itself through the transmission of its name, its goods, and its titles down a real or imaginary line, considered legitimate as long as this continuity can express itself in the language of kinship or of affinity and, most often, of both. (1988:174) Researchers who explored this concept have applied it fruitfully to societies in many parts of the globe (Errington, 1989;Fox 1993;Gillespie 2000b;Kirch 2000;McKinnon 1991McKinnon , 1995McKinnon , 2000aMcKinnon , 2000bNg 1993;Sandstrom 2000;Sather 1993;Waterson 1990). Kuper 1982) states that the word translated by EvansPritchard as "lineage" more literally translates as "doorway to the hearth."…”

“…This points to residence rather than lineage as the primary determinant of social group belonging. Other scholars have picked up this critique of traditional anthropological categories and found that the physical structure of the house is more than just a passive container of people, but 48 rather is actively constitutive of relations (Errington, 1989;Fox 1993;Gillespie 2000aGillespie , 2000bMcKinnon 1991McKinnon , 1995McKinnon , 2000aMcKinnon , 2000bNg 1993;Pearson and Richards 1994;Sandstrom 2000;Sather 1993;Waterson 1990;Whiteley 2008).…”

“…Literature on the house emphasizes that the notion of "house" organization is not strictly limited to the physical structure of the house itself. Rather, the house structure is the base of a larger corporate body (hierarchically organized internally as well as in relation to other groups) that seeks to preserve itself, its property, and its rank through the generations (Chance 2000;Fox 1993). A "house" is not just a physical structure, but a flexible social group organized around residence.…”