Ancestors and Elites: Emergent Complexity and Ritual Practices in the Casas Grandes Polity (Archaeology of Religion Book 8)

Ancestors and Elites examines the relationship between emergent social complexity and changing ritual practices at the prehispanic site of PaquimZ, Chihuahua, Mexico. Ancestors and Elites examines prehispanic ritual behaviors characteristic of the Casas Grandes region of Chihuahua, Mexico. Gordon Rakita analyzes the archaeological data from the site with respect to broader anthropological theories regarding both religious practices and the rise of complex societies. This confluence of empirical fact and general theory allows Rakita to explore in detail the complex, reciprocal relationship between ritual practices and developing social complexity at PaquimZ, one of the best-documented archaeological sites in the region. Ancestors and Elites examines prehispanic ritual behaviors characteristic of the Casas Grandes region of Chihuahua, Mexico. Gordon Rakita analyzes the archaeological data from the site with respect to broader anthropological theories regarding bothreligious practices and the rise of complex societies. This confluence of empirical fact and general theory allows Rakita to explore in detail the complex, reciprocal relationship between ritual practices and developing social complexity at Paquimé, one of the best-documented archaeological sites in the region This book examines prehispanic ritual behaviors characteristic of the Casas Grandes region of Chihuahua, Mexico. The author analyzes the archealogical data from the site with respect to broader anthropological theories regarding both religious practices and the rise of complex societies Ancestors and Elites examines the relationship between emergent social complexity and changing ritual practices at the prehispanic site of Paquimé, Chihuahua, Mexico. Introduction Emergent complexity Ritual and emergent complexity Ritual practices at Paquimé Interpretations and conclusions.