Description
Book SynopsisIn this significant work, Olko reconstructs the repertory of insignia of rank and the contexts and symbolic meanings of their use, along with their original terminology, among the Nahuatl-speaking communities of Mesoamerica from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. In this interpretative study and handy reference, Olko engages with and builds upon extensive world-wide scholarship and skilfully illuminates this complex topic, creating a vital contribution to the fields of pre-Columbian and colonial Mexican studies. 'Insignia of Rank in the Nahua World' substantially expands and elaborates the themes of Olkos "Turquoise Diadems and Staffs of Office: Elite Costume and Insignia of Power in Aztec and Early Colonial Mexico", originally published in Poland and never released in North America.
Trade Review"Justyna Olko provides nothing less than a rigorous and exhaustive analysis of every component of dress, jewellery, and other ornamentation worn by adorning indigenous men and women, be they native rulers ('tlatoque'), members of the nobility ('principales'), bureaucratic functionaries, or soldiers. This level of detail enables her to assign a cultural reference point for numerous figures -- a reference point that includes indicators such as rank and social status and the specific identity of local aristocracies, or, in the cases of a dual identity, the one that is intended to stand out at a certain time or to grace a particular occasion. These aspects of native culture, as drawn out by Olko, have often been ignored or overlooked, precisely because the field has lacked a comprehensive study such as hers to consult ... [W]ith this book, Justyna Olko has become an unqualified master of the tlacuilolli." -- Maria Castaneda de la Paz
