The Shaman-Priests of the Casas Grandes Region, Chihuahua, Mexico

Abstract

The Casas Grandes culture flourished between two well-known regions: Mesoamerica and the North American Southwest. An analysis of Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) pottery suggests that Paquimé, the center of the Casas Grandes world, was dominated by shaman-priests. The pottery includes images that document a “classic shamanic journey” between this world and the spirit world. These images can be connected to the leaders of Paquimé and to valuable objects from West Mexico, indicating that the Casas Grandes leadership had more in common with the Mesoamerican system of shaman-leaders than with the political system of the Pueblo world of the North American Southwest.

The signs of the sacred: Identifying shamans using archaeological evidence

“…The prehistoric record of the North American Southwest reflects iconic families and other evidence of shamanic sacra (Boyd, 1996;Hays-Gilpin and LeBlanc, 2007, p. 127;Schaafsma, 1994;VanPool, 2003a;VanPool, 2006, 2007). I present two case studies where the various lines of evidence described above indicate both the presence of shamanism and provide insight into its practice.…”

“…Here I use these terms to distinguish between the process of creating a trance states (ASC) and the interpretation of these trances as to gain access to the spirit world (SSC). During SSC, shamans often report travelling to the supernatural realm to gain help/knowledge from spirits for healing, manipulating weather (e.g., rain seeking), divinations, ensuring successful hunts or raids, finding lost objects, killing enemies, or other important activities such as ensuring fertility and fecundity for the benefit of their people (Atkinson, 1987;Boyd, 1996;Dobkin de Rios, 1976;Eliade, 1964, p. 35;Freidel et al, 1993;Furst, 1972;Grim, 1983;Joralemon and Sharon, 1993;Myerhoff, 1976, p. 99;Narby and Huxley, 2001;Peters and Price-Williams, 1980;VanPool, 2003a;Vitebsky, 2001;Whitley, 2000, p. 156;Wilbert, 1987).…”

“…It was consequently one of the preferred hallucinogens used nearly everywhere in the Americas, where it is commonly associated with pipe ceremonialism and bird imagery (Brown, 1997, p. 474;Huckell, 1998;Huckell and VanPool, 2006;Jones and Morris, 1960;Robicsek, 1978;Switzer, 1969, p. 1;VanPool, 2003a;Von Gernet, 1992, p. 137, Von Gernet, 2000Whitley, 2000;Wilbert, 1987, p. 184;Winter, 2000). The focus on pipes is also not surprising given that smoking is the most efficient means of getting nicotine into the system (Wilbert, 1987, pp.…”

“…Researchers of course often recognise this (albeit they have not quite conceptualised it like Fig. 1), which is why some use terms like shaman-like or shaman-priests (Carr and Case, 2005;VanPool, 2003a). It is entirely possible that aspects of shamanic practices continue long after the focus of a religious system has shifted to full-time practitioners (priests) (Miller and Taube, 1993, p. 152).…”

Archaeology of Spiritualities

“…Elsewhere we have argued that the ef fi gies of males smoking, and the painted images of people involved in ritual dancing, growing a horn with their ritual headdresses next to them, and anthropomorphs interacting with the horned serpent and double-headed macaw diamond re fl ect shamanic ritual (VanPool 2003 ;VanPool and VanPool 2007 ) . Brie fl y, males smoked a potent form of tobacco, as well as likely fasted, engaged in bloodletting, went without sleep and water, and took other steps to initiate altered states of consciousness (VanPool 2003 ) .…”