In the Maw of the Earth Monster: Mesoamerican Ritual Cave Use
- ISBN-10
- 0292705867
- ISBN-13
- 9780292705869
- Category
- Social Science
- Pages
- 438
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2005-02-01
- Publisher
- University of Texas Press
- Author
- James E. Brady
Description
As portals to the supernatural realm that creates and animates the universe, caves have always been held sacred by the peoples of Mesoamerica. From ancient times to the present, Mesoamericans have made pilgrimages to caves for ceremonies ranging from rituals of passage to petitions for rain and a plentiful harvest. So important were caves to the pre-Hispanic peoples that they are mentioned in Maya hieroglyphic writing and portrayed in the Central Mexican and Oaxacan pictorial codices. Many ancient settlements were located in proximity to caves. This volume gathers papers from twenty prominent Mesoamerican archaeologists, linguists, and ethnographers to present a state-of-the-art survey of ritual cave use in Mesoamerica from Pre-Columbian times to the present. Organized geographically, the book examines cave use in Central Mexico, Oaxaca, and the Maya region. Some reports present detailed site studies, while others offer new theoretical understandings of cave rituals. As a whole, the collection validates cave study as the cutting edge of scientific investigation of indigenous ritual and belief. It confirms that the indigenous religious system of Mesoamerica was and still is much more terrestrially focused that has been generally appreciated.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2013-04-01
- 448 pages
- Ebook
- University of Texas Press
Similar books
-
Rock Art of the Lower Pecos
By Carolyn E. BoydMyerhoff ( 1974 : 153 ) describes the pilgrims ' behavior as " precisely that of stalking an animal . " Once the shaman has found the peyote / deer , he takes aim and shoots it with an arrow . Bursts of color like a rainbow are said to ...
-
The Bioarchaeology of Space and Place: Ideology, Power, and Meaning in Maya Mortuary Contexts
By Gabriel D. WrobelIdeology, Power, and Meaning in Maya Mortuary Contexts Gabriel D. Wrobel. Tung, T.A. (2012). ... Diet, health, and status among the Pasión Maya: A reappraisal of the collapse. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.
-
Construction of Maya Space: Causeways, Walls, and Open Areas from Ancient to Modern Times
By Jennifer P. Mathews, Thomas H. Guderjan... History (both co-edited with M. Kathryn Brown), Ruins of the Past (co-edited with Aline Magnoni), and the co-authored books Before Kukulkán, The Initial Series Group at Chichen Itza, The Past in the Present, and Excavations at Yaxuná ...
-
Ritual in Human Evolution and Religion: Psychological and Ritual Resources
By Matt J. RossanoThis book explores the role of ritual in social life, human evolution, and religion.
-
Obsidian Reflections: Symbolic Dimensions of Obsidian in Mesoamerica
By Marc Levine, David M. Carballo“Apéndice 2: Análisis e Identificación de Procedencia de Artefactos de Obsidiana del Pueblo Viejo de Teposcolula Yucundaa.” In “Proyecto Arqueológico en el Pueblo Viejo de Teposcolula, Temporada 2006,” ed. Ronald Spores and Nelly M.
-
The Maya World
By Scott R. Hutson, Traci ArdrenIn The Transition to Statehood in the New World, edited by Grant D. Jones and Robert R. Kautz, pp. 188–227. Cambridge University Press, New York. Freidel, David A. 1985 Polychrome Facades of the Lowland Maya Preclassic.
-
Geography of World Pilgrimages: Social, Cultural and Territorial Perspectives
By Lucrezia Lopez... Lietuvos medinės bažnyčios , koplyčios ir varpinės . Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla , Vilnius Jankevičienė A , Kuodienė M ( 2004 ) Lietuvos mūrinės koplytėlės : Architektūra ir skulptūra . Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla ...
-
Earth Observation, Remote Sensing and Geoscientific Ground Investigations for Archaeological and Heritage Research
By Deodato TapeteIn this manner there is nothing about the 'hi tech' phenomena of remote sensing activities that ought to disturb the decisions ... relations as may be found in International case law such as the Trail Smelter Arbitration (1935) [120], ...
-
Sacred Darkness: A Global Perspective on the Ritual use of Caves
By Holley MoyesPrehistory of the Rustler Hills: Granado Cave. Austin: University of Texas Press. Hargrave, Lyndon L. 1970. Feathers from Sand Dune Cave: A Basketmaker Cave Near Navajo Mountain, Utah. Technical Series No. 9. Flagstaff, AZ: Museum of ...
-
Her Cup for Sweet Cacao: Food in Ancient Maya Society
By Traci ArdrenThis collection, the first to focus exclusively on the social uses of food in Classic Maya culture, deploys a variety of theoretical approaches to examine the meaning of food beyond diet—ritual offerings and restrictions, medicinal ...