Ritual Continuity and Transformation in Mesoamerica: Reconstructing the Ancient Maya Cuch Ritual

1981 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Pohl
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Maya ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ritual Activity ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Large Corpus

The use of ethnohistoric and ethnographic data in interpreting evidence for prehistoric ritual activity is highly controversial in Mesoamerican circles. This paper traces the long history of a Maya ceremony identified as the cuch rite. Although transformations in characters and symbols have occurred, continuity is also evident. Application of the ethnohistorical approach has suggested that a large corpus of ancient art depicts fertility and accession ceremonies. The stag appears to have been a major agricultural supernatural in Maya religion.

The Chronology of Yaxuna

1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Suhler ◽  
Traci Ardren ◽  
David Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
The Political ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Urban Center ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
History Of ◽  
Late Formative ◽  
Middle Formative

AbstractResearch at the ancient Maya city of Yaxuna, located in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, has provided sufficient data to suggest a preliminary chronological framework for the cultural development of this large polity. Primary ceramic and stratigraphie data are presented to support a five-phase scheme of cultural history, encompassing the Middle Formative through Postclassic periods (500 b.c.–a.d. 1250). In addition to chronological significance, the political ramifications of a pan-lowland ceramic trade are addressed. Yaxuna experienced an early florescence in the Late Formative–Early Classic periods, when it was the largest urban center in the central peninsula. A second renaissance in the Terminal Classic period was the result of Yaxuna's role in an alliance between the Puuc and Coba, in opposition to growing Itza militancy. This paper proposes a chronological framework for the cultural development of one northern Maya region in order to facilitate an understanding of this area as part of the overall history of polity interaction and competition in the Maya lowlands.

INTRODUCTION

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-62
Author(s):  
William R. Fowler ◽  
Jon B. Hageman
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Special Section ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Settlement Studies

This issue's Special Section presents recent archaeological research and interpretive perspectives on ancient Maya social organization. This topic has received increasing archaeological attention in recent years, with inferences drawn primarily from settlement studies, excavation data from households, and mortuary patterns complemented by evidence from ethnohistoric sources and ethnographic data and interpretations (Fash 1994:187–188, 190–192).

Caves and Ancient Maya Ritual Use ofJute

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina T. Halperin ◽  
Sergio Garza ◽  
Keith M. Prufer ◽  
James E. Bradya
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Freshwater Gastropods ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Surface Sites ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Mother Earth ◽  
Ceremonial Architecture

AbstractA number of previous authors have suggested, based on limited data, thatPachychilusspp., freshwater gastropods often calledjute, may have played a role in ancient Maya ritual. Data collected by the authors demonstrate thatjuteshells consistently appear as part of faunal assemblages in ceremonial caves across the southern Maya Lowlands. At surface sites, jute are often associated with ceremonial architecture, particularly ballcourts. Previous ethnographic accounts are reviewed for clues to ancient Maya jute use. New ethnographic data suggest a role not previously considered by archaeologists. A Q‘eqchi’ Maya informant states that shells are gathered up after meals and deposited in caves as an offering in thanks to “Mother Earth” (Madre Tierra) who provided the mollusks. This practice suggests that the ancient shells may represent a secondary deposition rather than reflecting consumption occurring in the cave. The presence of jute shells may document ancient religious beliefs and ritual activities surrounding an important subsistence resource.

scholarly journals “PLEASE PASS THE SALT” – AN ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF SALT AND SALT FERMENTED FISH PRODUCTION, USE AND TRADE IN NORTHEAST THAILAND.

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Yankowski ◽  
Puangtip Kerdsap ◽  
Dr. Nigel Chang
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
Northeast Thailand ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
Fish Products ◽  
Fermented Fish ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ethnographic Data

<p>Northeast Thailand is known for salt production, both today and in the past.  Prehistoric salt sites are found throughout the region and ethnographic and historical data demonstrates the importance of salt as a commodity as well as for preserving and fermenting fish. This paper explores the archaeology and cultural history of salt and salt fermented fish products in Northeast Thailand and the Greater Mekong Delta region.  Using archaeological, historical and ethnographic data, it addresses how the foods we eat and our preparation methods can be deeply rooted in our cultural history and identity, and discusses the ways in which they can be studied in the archaeological record to learn about the past.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></p>

scholarly journals A Place Called Supermarket

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elisabeth Goidanich ◽  
Carmen Rial
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Transformations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
The City

Abstract: The objective of this study is to interpret supermarket stores as privileged spaces for the observation of social relations. The article is based on an ethnography of shopping conducted in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil, by observing middle class housewives during their daily shopping in supermarkets. These stores are seen as places, in opposition to that proposed by Augè (1995), who affirms that supermarkets are non-places produced by supermodernity. The article discusses the history of supermarkets, their role in the cultural and social transformations of the twentieth century, as well as ethnographic data, and shows that it is possible to identify many social interactions inside Brazilian supermarkets.

IDENTIFYING A FORGED MAYA MANUSCRIPT IN UNESCO'S WORLD DIGITAL LIBRARY

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-166
Author(s):  
Markus Eberl ◽  
Hanns J. Prem
Keyword(s):  
Digital Library ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Historical Document ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time Specific ◽  
Primary Materials

AbstractAmong the original holdings of the recently opened World Digital Library was a Spanish manuscript on the Maya that supposedly dates to 1548 (initially available at http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2961). It was given the title El modo de cómo hacían la pintura los indígenas (“How the Indians Made Their Paintings”) and contained an explanation of Maya culture accompanied by drawings of Maya glyphs and deities. Detailed analysis shows that the Pintura manuscript is a fake that belongs to the Canek group of forged manuscripts. It is written in the same hand as the Canek forgeries and shares the same stylistic characteristics with this group. Its drawings copy illustrations from the third English or the second Spanish edition of Sylvanus Morley's The Ancient Maya, and from the Madrid Codex. The World Digital Library aims to make significant primary materials from all UNESCO member countries available on the Internet. Forgeries like the Pintura manuscript undermine the trustworthiness and eminence of this project. While the Pintura manuscript was removed from the World Digital Library in August 2009, researchers may find useful the holistic approach that allowed identifying it as a forgery. A historical document is here examined from six angles. What are its physical makeup, its penmanship, and its linguistic properties? Authentic documents should have a traceable history of documentation (here termed a “pedigree”) and their content should be consistent with well-established sources and with culture- and time-specific conventions.

Copán: The History of an Ancient Maya Kingdom

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 224-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Wyllys Andrews ◽  
William L. Fash
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Maya ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals The Polish Ethnographic Atlas: Research Achievements and Prospects

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-94
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Pieńczak
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Institutions ◽  
National Scale ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
The University ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Source Materials

Abstract In 1998, the source materials of the Polish Ethnographic Atlas - collected over many decades with the participation of the Institute of History of Material Culture (a unit of the Polish Academy of Sciences) and several leading ethnological centres - were moved to the Cieszyn Branch of the University of Silesia (currently the Faculty of Ethnology and Education). It was then that Z. Kłodnicki, the editor of the PEA, came up with the idea to continue and finish the atlas studies. However, the work on fulfilling the PEA, the biggest project in the history of Polish ethnology, is still going on. Nowadays, the materials of the Polish Ethnographic Atlas constitute a precious, unique in the national scale, documentary base. For several years, a lively cooperation has taken place between the PEA staff (representing the Faculty of Ethnology and Education of the University of Silesia) and various cultural institutions, government and non-government organizations. The discussed projects are usually aimed at the preservation and protection of the cultural heritage of the Polish village as well as the broadly related promotion actions for activating local communities. The workers of the Polish Ethnographic Atlas since 2014 have been also implementing the Ministry grant entitled The Polish Ethnographic Atlas - scientific elaboration, electronic database, publication of the sources in the Internet, stage I (scientific supervision: Ph.D. Agnieszka Pieńczak). What is an integral assumption of the discussed project is the scientific elaboration of three electronic catalogues, presenting the PEA resources: 1) field photographs (1955-1971) 2) the questionnaires concerning folk collecting (1948-1952), 3. the published maps (1958-2013). These materials have been selected due to their documentary value. The undertaking has brought about some measurable effects, mostly the special digital platform www.archiwumpae.us.edu.pl. This material database of ethnographic data might become the basis for designing various non-material activities aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of the Polish village.

scholarly journals Manuscript of Е. D. Prokofieva “Fishing of the Taz-Turukhansk Selkups” from the Archive of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences as a Source on the History and Ethnography of Siberia: 1920s–60s

2021 ◽  
pp. 168-180
Author(s):  
Olga B. Stepanova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Traditional Culture ◽  
Valuable Source ◽  
Russian Academy Of Sciences ◽  
East And Southeast Asia ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Traditional Fishing

In the archive of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the collection of famous ethnographers and researchers of Siberia, employees of the MAE RAS G.N. Prokofiev and E.D. Prokofieva there is an incomplete manuscript of an article by Ekaterina Dmitrievna Prokofieva “Fishing in the Taz-Turukhansk Selkups” (AMAE, fond 6, series 1, no. 104). In the first part of the manuscript, the author provides purely ethnographic data on traditional fishing methods among the population of the Taz River, characterizing the state of fishing in the region on the eve of Soviet modernization. The second part contains information about socialist changes that had taken place in the Taza region from the 1920s to the early 1960s: the transformation of the traditional culture of the local peoples, the change in the anthropogenic landscape, and the formation of the industrial fishing. The material, on which the work is based, was collected by E.D. Prokofieva during the expedition of 1962 to the Krasnoselkup district of the Tyumen region. The expedition was her last trip to the Northern Selkups. Alongside E.D. Prokofieva in the expedition there worked a young graduate student A.M. Reshetov, in future, well-known sinologist, historian of Russian ethnography, head of the department of East and Southeast Asia, and party organizer of the MAE RAS. The materials included in the text of the manuscript were obtained from direct participants and witnesses of the events or were taken from the economic documentation available at that time in the organizations of the district. The generation of informants has since changed, and the complex of documentation with which the researcher worked has become fragmented, scattered in the archives, and partially lost. This makes the manuscript a valuable source containing rare materials on unexplored issues of ethnography and history of the Taz lands of the era of intensive Soviet transformations. The purpose of this and several previous publications by the author, written on the basis of E.D. Prokofieva’s manuscript , is to introduce into the scientific use new data on the history, ethnography, and historiography of Siberia.

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