Women's Ritual in Formative Oaxaca: Figure-making, Divination, Death and the Ancestors

Description

This book covers divination, figurine-making, and women's ritual treatment of ancestors in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, from 1600 to 500 BC. Contents List of Tables List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Introduction The Early and Middle Formative Periods: 1800-500 b.c. Village Ritual Figurines The Context of Oaxaca's Figurines Other Rituals Possible Contributions to Gender Studies The Message of This Volume Chapter 2. The Context of Women's Ritual Items during the Formative Research Design The Household: Archaeological Manifestations Chapter 3. Women's Ritual: Insights from the Ethnohistoric Record The Three Components of Ritual The Role of Zapotec Women in Divination Evidence for Water Divination in the Early Formative The Involvement of Zapotec Women with Recent Ancestors Chapter 4. Women's Ritual: Insights from the Ethnographic Record Ancestor Ritual The Concept of Facelessness Geneonymy Was There Such a Thing as "Ancestor Worship"? "Recent" vs "Remote" Ancestors Social Evolution and the Ancestors Why Were Ancestors Not Shown as "Old"? What Are We to Make of Animal Figurines? Summary Chapter 5. Formative Ancestor Ritual: A Framework Based on Both Zapotec Ethnohistory and World Ethnography Whole Figurines in Burials Figurines in Formative Burials from Outside the Valley of Oaxaca Large Hollow White-slipped "Dolls" Summary Chapter 6. The Social Information in Figurine Hairstyles Nahua (Aztec) Hairdos Mixtec Hairdos Zapotec Hairdos Ethnohistoric and Ethnographic Hairstyles: A Summary Some Common Terms Used for Formative Hairstyles Chapter 7. The Origins of Figurine-making in the Mexican Highlands The Earliest Figurine from the Valley of Oaxaca Summary Chapter 8. Chronological Change in Oaxaca's Formative Figurines Previous Figurine Typologies Prior Work on Valley of Oaxaca Figurines Attributes of Tierras Largas Phase Figurines (1400-1150 b.c.) Attributes of San José Phase Figurines (1150-850 b.c.) Attributes of Guadalupe Phase Figurines (850-700 b.c.) Attributes of Rosario Phase Figurines (700-500 b.c.) Attributes of Monte Albán I Figurines (500-200 b.c.) Chapter 9. The Tierras Largas Phase and the Spatial Separation of Men's and Women's Ritual Figurines from Tierras Largas Phase Houses, Features, and Middens San Jose Mogote, Area C A Household in Area B San Jose Mogote Households at the Tierras Largas Site Tierras Largas Site, Feature 100 Chapter 10. An Introduction to San José Phase Figurines: Plácido's Midden Plácido's Midden Heads with Slit Eyes Heads with Two-Ploughing-Stroke Eyes, Hair Parted in the Middle Heads with Two-Ploughing-Stroke Eyes, Possible Hair Bun/Zulu Knot Poking Out above Cloth Wrap Heads with Two-Ploughing-Stroke Eyes, Two Hair BunslZulu Knots Poking Out above Cloth Wrap Heads with Two-Ploughing-Stroke Eyes, Wearing Turbans Heads with Two-Ploughing-Stroke Eyes, Headbands or Cords Used to Hold Hair Heads with Two-Ploughing-Stroke Eyes, Bangs, and Hair Tied in 1-2 Buns Heads with Pinhole-Pupil Eyes, Three Holes Punched in Hair Heads with Large Punched Pupils, Wearing Turbans "Tonsured Caciques" Costumed Figures with "Third Leg" Supports "Hatchet-face" Figurines Heads with Puffy Cheeks "Singers" or "Chanters" Unusual Figurines Torsos from Slender, Non-Pregnant Women Pregnant Torsos Microtorsos Seated Torsos Stray Arms Stray Legs "House Dedication" Figurines Animal Figurines Large Hollow White-Slipped Dolls Crude, Inexpertly Made Figurines Pottery Masks Chapter 11. Area C of San José Mogote: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Contexts Eight Houses from Area C, San José Mogote Two Middens from Area C A Tertiary Context: The Area C Master Profile Chapter 12. Area A of San José Mogote: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Contexts Four Households from Area A A Secondary Context: The Zone D Midden A Low-Status Residence: House 13 Tertiary Contexts In Area A The Earthen Fill of Structure 1 Comment on Structure 1 Fill Cutting the Area A Profile Chapter 13. Area B of San José Mogote: A Household with a Figurine Scene House 17 House 16 Pottery Masks from House 16 Area Feature 63 The Dooryard of Houses 16-17 Pits in Bedrock Below House 17 Comments on Houses 16-17 and the Lower Terrace The Upper Terrace Chapter 14. San José Phase Households at the Site of Tierras Largas Household ESJ-1, Area B Household LSI-I, Area A Household Unit LSJ-2 Tertiary Contexts at the site of Tierras Largas Chapter 15. San José Phase Proveniences at Huitzo, Abasolo, and Tomaltepec Figurines from the Fill of Structure 4, Barrio del Rosario Huitzo Figurines from the Fill of Structure 2, Barrio del Rosario Huitzo Operation A of San Sebastián Abasolo Area B of San Sebastián Abasolo Santo Domingo Tomaltepec The Tomaltepec Cemetery Chapter 16. Guadalupe Phase Proveniences Primary Contexts at San José Mogote Tertiary Contexts at San José Mogote Primary Contexts at Huitzo Secondary Contexts at Huitzo Tertiary Contexts at Huitzo Household Unit G-3 at the Site of Tierras Largas Guadalupe Phase Figurines from Miscellaneous Proveniences at Tierras Largas Households and Middens at Fábrica San José Figurines from San Sebastián Abasolo Chapter 17. The Rosario Phase: Emerging Differences in Ritual between Elite and Low-Status Families Changes in Ritual Elite Households from San José Mogote Rosario Phase Household Units from Fábrica San José Secondary Contexts: Rosario Phase Middens at Fábrica San José Tertiary Contexts at Fábrica San José Disturbed Rosario Phase Household Units at San José Mogote Tertiary Contexts at San José Mogote A Tertiary Context at San Sebastián Abasolo Chapter 18. Epilogue: Monte Albán I and Beyond Changes in Ritual Monte Albán I Figurines from San José Mogote Late Monte Albán I Figurines and Ceramic Effigies from Santo Domingo Tomaltepec Epilogue Chapter 19. Women's Ritual: Summary and Conclusions What was the role of women in Formative ritual? Where did women conduct rites of divination? What do the small solid figurines so common in the Formative period represent? Who made the small solid figurines? Why are so many of the small solid figurines female? If the figurines are ancestors, why don't they look old? Why were there also figurines of dogs and birds? What about large hollow white-slipped dolls? Why were there so many thousands of small solid figurines? When figurines are discovered whole and intact, where are they? Why are so many figurines broken - is it by accident or design? Why are figurines made of fired clay, rather than other materials? Why did figurine makers focus so much attention on hairstyles? What can we tell from the ornaments on figurines? What do different eye types mean? When do we see the greatest diversity in figurines, and why? Why do small solid figurines appear when they do, and disappear when they do, in the archaeological record? What form should future studies of Formative women's ritual take? Chapter 20. Resumen en Español, by María de los Angeles Romero Frizzi References Cited Index