Description
Book SynopsisWere most commoners in ancient Mesoamerica poor? In a material sense, yes, probably so. Were they poor in their beliefs and culture? Certainly not, as Commoner Ritual and Ideology in Ancient Mesoamerica demonstrates. This volume explores the ritual life of Mesoamerica's common citizens, inside and outside of the domestic sphere, from Formative through Postclassic periods. Building from the premise that ritual and ideological expression inhered at all levels of society in Mesoamerica, the contributors demonstrate that ideology did not emanate solely from exalted individuals and that commoner ritual expression was not limited to household contexts. Taking an empirical approach to this under-studied and under-theorized area, contributors use material evidence to discover how commoner status conditioned the expression of ideas and values. Revealing complex social hierarchies that varied across time and region, this volume offers theoretical approaches to commoner ideology, religious practice, and sociopolitical organization and builds a framework for future study of the correlation of ritual and ideological expression with social position for Mesoamericanists and archaeologists worldwide.
Table of ContentsContents List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1. Commoner Ritual, Commoner Ideology: (Sub-)Alternate Views of Social Complexity in Prehispanic Mesoamerica Jon C. Lohse 2. Tradition and Transformation: Village Ritual at Tetimpa as a Template for Early Teotihuacan Gabriela Urunuela and Patricia Plunket 3. Commoner Ritual at Teotihuacan, Central Mexico: Methodological Considerations Luis Barba, Agustin Ortiz, and Linda Manzanilla 4. Ritual and Ideology Among Classic Maya Rural Commoners at Cop n, Honduras Nancy Gonlin 5. Smoke, Soot, and Censers: A Perspectiva on Ancient Commoner Household Ritual Behavior from the Naco Valley, Honduras John G. Douglass 6. Commoner Rituals, Resistance, and the Classic-to-Postclassic Transition in Ancient Mesoamerica Arthur A. Joyce and Errin T. Weller 7. Shrines, Offerings, and Postclassic Continuity in Zapotec Religion Marcus Winter, Robert Markens, Cira Martinez Lopez, and Alicia Herrera Muzgo T. 8. Altar Egos: Domestic Ritual and Social Identity in Postclassic Cholula, Mexico Geoffrey G. McCafferty 9. A Socioeconomic Interpretation of Figurine Assemblages from Late Postclassic Morelos, Mexico Jan Olson 10. Steps to a Holistic Household Archaeology Mark W. Mehrer List of Contributors Index
