Pre-Columbian Foodways : Interdisciplinary Approaches to Food, Culture, and Markets in Ancient Mesoamerica

The significance of food and feasting to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures has been extensively studied by archaeologists, anthropologists and art historians. Foodways studies have been critical to our understanding of early agriculture, political economies, and the domestication and management of plants and animals. Scholars from diverse fields have explored the symbolic complexity of food and its preparation, as well as the social importance of feasting in contemporary and historical societies. This book unites these disciplinary perspectives -- from the social and biological sciences to art history and epigraphy -- creating a work comprehensive in scope, which reveals our increasing understanding of the various roles of foods and cuisines in Mesoamerican cultures. . The volume is organized thematically into three sections. Part 1 gives an overview of food and feasting practices as well as ancient economies in Mesoamerica. Part 2 details ethnographic, epigraphic and isotopic evidence of these practices. Finally, Part 3 presents the metaphoric value of food in Mesoamerican symbolism, ritual, and mythology. The resulting volume provides a thorough, interdisciplinary resource for understanding, food, feasting, and cultural practices in Mesoamerica Staller_FM_O.pdf......Page 2 Anchor 1......Page 9 Introduction......Page 12 Mesoamerican Conceptions of Food and Culture......Page 14 Cosmology, Mythology, and Time......Page 15 Colonial Sources and Perspectives on Mesoamerican Foodways......Page 19 Modern Research on Mesoamerican Foodways......Page 20 Part I: Agriculture and Social Complexity: The Roles of Feasting and Ritual Economies......Page 22 Part II: Ethnography, Ethnobotany, Language and Diet......Page 23 Part III: Food as Metaphor: Mythology and Iconography......Page 25 Conclusions......Page 26 References......Page 27 Staller_Ch02_O.pdf......Page 32 Introduction......Page 33 A New World......Page 34 Primary, Secondary, and Native Accounts......Page 36 Using Ethnohistoric Sources......Page 37 Western Conceptions of New World Traditions......Page 38 First Impressions......Page 39 Mesoamerican Farming Practices......Page 47 What Native Americans Ate and Drank......Page 49 New World Preparations and Intoxicants......Page 54 Early Economy, Markets, and Foodways in New Spain......Page 59 Tenochtitlan and the Great Market at Tlaltelolco......Page 61 Classification, Storage, and Redistribution......Page 65 Mesoamerican Commerce and Foodways......Page 66 Food, Feasting, and Mesoamerican Religion......Page 67 Roles of Foodways to Feasting and Festivals......Page 69 Divine Foods and Their Associated Deities......Page 70 Summary and Conclusions......Page 72 References......Page 73 Introduction......Page 80 Historical Linguistics: Lexical Reconstruction and Glottochronology......Page 81 The Data: Languages and Plants......Page 88 Discussion of Table 1......Page 90 Ancestral-Language Homelands......Page 91 Basic Analysis......Page 96 Expanded Interpretation......Page 99 Conclusion......Page 103 Appendix 1......Page 104 Appendix 2......Page 107 Appendix 3......Page 111 References......Page 115 Introduction......Page 117 Maguey as a Source of Food, Fiber, and Fuel......Page 120 Maguey Flesh and Sap as Food......Page 121 Maguey Fiber for Spinning and Weaving......Page 126 Maguey Sap, Flesh, and Fiber in Combination......Page 127 The Aquatic Landscape in the Valley of Mexico......Page 129 The Historical Evidence of Saline Lake and Marsh Exploitation in the Valley of Mexico......Page 130 The Special Importance of Algae and Aquatic Insects in the Sixteenth Century......Page 132 The Later Colonial Period and Nineteenth Century......Page 135 Recent Ethnographic and Experimental Evidence......Page 136 Maguey Products......Page 138 Aquatic Products......Page 139 Model for the Northward Expansion of Mesoamerican Civilization ca. 500 B.C. to 500 A.D.......Page 140 Overall Summary and Conclusions......Page 141 References......Page 142 Introduction......Page 145 Mescal in Sources and Chronicles......Page 147 Mescal Ethnoarchaeology......Page 153 Food and Ritual Uses of Mescal......Page 159 Conclusions......Page 162 References......Page 163 Early Cacao in Mesoamerica: A Review of a Shifting Landscape......Page 165 Puerto Escondido: Finding Cacao in Early Formative Contexts......Page 167 Other Early Formative Cacao Use......Page 172 Puerto Escondido: Cacao in Middle Formative Contexts......Page 173 Cacao in Middle Formative Contexts: Persistent Variability......Page 175 Ancient Social Contexts of Cacao Foods in Mesoamerica......Page 176 Early Cacao Studies: Moving Forward......Page 178 References......Page 180 Introduction......Page 182 Salt as a Strategic Resource in Mesoamerica......Page 183 Food Preservation......Page 184 The Basin of Mexico......Page 186 Lake Cuitzeo Basin, Michoacán......Page 187 Coastal Michoacán......Page 189 The Maya Area......Page 190 Salt Trade, Tribute, and Transportation......Page 191 Conclusions......Page 194 References......Page 195 Tyranny of the Bread and Circus Paradigm Also Known as the Political Economy......Page 198 Promise and Problems of Ancient Maya Market Exchange: It’s the Economy, Stupid......Page 201 Archaeological Signatures of Ancient Maya Marketplaces......Page 204 The Dirt on Food......Page 206 Geochemical Investigations in a Modern Maya Marketplace......Page 208 Geochemical Investigations at Chunchucmil and La Trinidad......Page 209 Trinidad de Nosotros......Page 220 KISS, or Keep It Simple Stupid......Page 223 Conclusions......Page 228 Final Thoughts......Page 229 References......Page 230 Staller_Ch09_O.pdf......Page 240 Introduction......Page 241 The Tortilla of Life......Page 242 Cacao Drinks in the Classic Period......Page 243 Ul and Atole......Page 250 Sakha’: The White Water of Ritual......Page 252 Other Drinks from the Epigraphic Record......Page 254 Foods and Titles Among the Classic Period Maya......Page 255 Conclusion......Page 258 References......Page 259 Deciphering Classic Maya Recipes......Page 263 Fruity Cacao......Page 264 Sweet Chocolate......Page 266 Cherry Chocolate......Page 267 Atole with Sweet Potatoes......Page 269 Sa’, sa’al kakaw, and sak sa’[al] chih......Page 270 Discussion and Conclusions......Page 273 References......Page 275 Introduction......Page 279 Methodology......Page 280 Glottochronology......Page 283 AMS Dating of Beans in the Americas......Page 285 Bean Chronology and Glottochronological Dates......Page 286 Conclusion......Page 293 Postscript......Page 294 References......Page 295 Cacao, Food, Death, and Culture......Page 298 Cacao’s Role in Ancient Maya Culture......Page 299 Cacao in Ancient Vessels at Copan......Page 302 Ancient Comestibles Containing Cacao at Copan......Page 304 Producing Foods Worthy of Revered Ancestors and Gods......Page 310 Food, Cacao, Religion, and Meaning......Page 311 Conclusions......Page 316 References......Page 317 Feasting with Foam: Ceremonial Drinks of Cacao, Maize, and Pataxte Cacao......Page 320 Atole and Creation: The Goddess Xmukane Creates Human Life......Page 321 Atole: Liquid Breakfast......Page 322 Cacao: Gift from the Tree of Sustenance......Page 323 Origin of Cacao in the Popol Vuh......Page 326 Precious Narratives: Inscriptions on Cacao Drinking Cups......Page 327 Pataxte, the Cousin of Cacao......Page 329 Blending Divine Liquids: Maize and Chocolate......Page 331 Tan uk’ul, Cacao and Atole Drink of the Yucatec Maya......Page 333 Posol from the Chontal Maya and Mestizos of Tabasco......Page 334 Champurrado of the Oaxaca Valley Zapotecs......Page 335 Chocolateatole of the Valley of Oaxaca Zapotecs......Page 336 Essence of Foam: Crown of Chocolateatole......Page 338 A Secret Ritual Treatment of Pataxte......Page 339 California Kitchen Experiments......Page 342 Conclusion......Page 345 Introduction......Page 349 Making Nixtamal: Motivation, Materials, and Methods......Page 350 Early Maize in the Maya Lowlands: History and Estimated Productivity......Page 353 Maize Processing and the Cunil Horizon......Page 358 Conclusions......Page 365 References......Page 368 Introduction......Page 373 Historical Context: Lamanai During the Terminal Classic to Early Postclassic Period......Page 375 Terminal Classic to Early Postclassic Burials in Residential Complexes......Page 378 Terminal Classic to Early Postclassic Burial Patterns......Page 379 Pottery-Based Reconstruction of Identity......Page 381 Biological Reconstruction of Identity......Page 382 General Statements......Page 383 Ceramic Evidence......Page 385 Skeletal Evidence......Page 389 Ceramic Evidence......Page 391 Ceramic Evidence......Page 392 Skeletal Evidence......Page 393 Ceramic Evidence......Page 394 Skeletal Evidence......Page 396 Discussion and Conclusions......Page 397 References......Page 399 Introduction......Page 403 The Belize River Valley Diet: An Overview......Page 404 Isotope Methodology: Humans and Other Animals......Page 406 Zooarchaeology of Xunantunich: Polity, Site, and Context......Page 407 Xunantunich Polity Fauna......Page 408 San Lorenzo......Page 410 Xunantunich......Page 411 Animal Habitat and Habitat Diversity......Page 416 References......Page 419 Power Plants: Paleobotanical Evidence of Rural Feasting in Late Classic Belize......Page 425 The Pre-Hispanic Contexts......Page 427 Guijarral: A Late Classic Maya Rural Settlement......Page 428 Late Classic Plant Consumption at Guijarral......Page 430 Plants Associated with Feasting: Site Center......Page 433 Plants Associated with Domestic Consumption: Chispas......Page 438 Plants Found in Both Contexts......Page 439 Discussion: Ecological, Subsistence, and Social Implications......Page 440 References......Page 442 Pre-Columbian Heritage......Page 445 Spanish and African Borrowings......Page 452 Maya Food Today......Page 454 Ceremonies and Feasting......Page 459 References......Page 0 Introduction......Page 470 Maize Diversity in Yucatan: An Overview......Page 472 Relative Abundance of Yucatecan Maize Varieties......Page 476 Maize Maturation Time and Agroecology......Page 480 Kernel Color and Social Meanings of Maize......Page 482 Conclusion: The Future of Maize Diversity......Page 486 References......Page 488 Introduction......Page 490 Fieldwork......Page 492 Gendered Spheres of Activity......Page 495 Gendered Labor......Page 499 The “Modern” Maya......Page 505 Concluding Thoughts......Page 507 References......Page 508 Staller_Ch21_O.pdf......Page 511 Introduction......Page 512 Perpetually Embryos......Page 513 Possible Transformations......Page 514 The Raw Or the Roasted......Page 515 Early European Reports of the Axolotl......Page 516 Modern Scientific Attention to the Axolotl......Page 517 The Axolotl in Literature......Page 518 Xolotl Transforms into Food......Page 519 The Axolotl in the Early Formative Period......Page 522 Axolotls and Human Embryos......Page 529 Middle Formative Transformations......Page 532 References......Page 533 Introduction......Page 535 The Landscape of the Gulf Coast......Page 538 The Huaxteca......Page 540 Cooking and its Ingredients......Page 543 The Construction of a Microregion......Page 546 References......Page 551 Introduction......Page 553 Food in Mayan Religion......Page 557 Feasting......Page 558 Fasting......Page 560 Forbidden......Page 561 Food in the Upper World......Page 562 Food Offerings for Upper World Deities......Page 563 Food Offerings for Underworld Deities......Page 566 Food for the Soul Traveling to the Otherworld......Page 568 Food for the Soul Visiting This World......Page 570 Summary and Conclusions......Page 572 References......Page 575 Maize Was Their Flesh: Ritual Feasting in the Maya Highlands......Page 577 Food and the Nature of Human Flesh......Page 580 Feasting with the Gods......Page 583 Feasting with the Ancestors......Page 590 Feasting for a Bride......Page 593 Feasting with Strangers......Page 597 References......Page 599 Introduction......Page 601 Maya Cosmology......Page 602 Organizing the Cosmos......Page 608 Changing of the Hearth......Page 611 The Birth of the Maize God......Page 616 Dressing of the Maize God......Page 621 Historical and Ethnographic Parallels......Page 624 Conclusion......Page 629 References......Page 630 The Flesh of God: Cosmology, Food, and the Origins of Political Power in Ancient Southeastern Mesoamerica......Page 635 Flesh of God......Page 636 Why Divine Kings?......Page 637 The Birth of Currency......Page 643 Bundles, Burdens, Scaffolds, and Altar Thrones......Page 648 The Cascajal Block, Bundle Contents Memorialized......Page 658 Rulers, Trees, and Bundles......Page 670 Planting the Seeds, Raising the Trees, Celebrating Food......Page 674 References......Page 676 Staller_Index_O.pdf......Page 681 Ethnohistoric sources on foodways, feasts, and festivals in Mesoamerica / John E. Staller Development or agriculture in prehistoric Mesoamerica : the linguistic evidence / Cecil H. Brown The pastoral niche in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica / Jeffrey R. Parsons The drink mescal : its origin and ritual uses / Mari Carmen Serra and Carlos Lazcano A. Forming Mesoamerican taste : cacao consumption in formative period contexts / Rosemary A. Joyce and John S. Henderson Salt production and trade in ancient Mesoamerica / Eduardo Williams The dirt on food : ancient feasts and markets among the lowland Maya / Bruce H. Dahlin ... [et al.] An epigraphic analysis of classic-period Maya foodstuffs / Kerry Hull Sweet cacao and sour atole : mixed drinks on classic Maya ceramic vases / Dmitri Beliaev, Albert Davletshin, and Alexandre Tokovinine Prehistoric chronology of the common bean in the New World : the linguistic evidence / Cecil H. Brown Death and chocolate : the significance of cacao offerings in ancient Maya tombs and caches at Copan, Honduras / Cameron L. McNeil Feasting with foam : ceremonial drinks of cacao, maize, and pataxte cacao / Judith Strupp Green Corn, colanders, and cooking : early maize processing in the Maya lowlands and its implications / David Cheetham Potographies and biographies : the role of food in ritual and identity as seen through life histories of selected Maya pots and people / Linda Howie, Christine D. White, and Fred J. Longstaffe Dietary diversity in the upper Belize River Valley : a zooarchaeological and isotopic perspective / Carolyn R. Freiwald Power plants : paleobotanical evidence of rural feasting in late classic Belize / David J. Goldstein and Jon B. Hageman Food and feasting in the Zona Maya of Quintana Roo / E.N. Anderson All maize is not equal : maize variety choices and Mayan foodways in rural Yucatan, Mexico / John Tuxill ... [et al.] Maya foodways : a reflection of gender and ideology / Amber O'Connor The axolotl as food and symbol in the basin of Mexico, from 1200 BC to today / Carolyn E. Tate Topophilia : a tool for the demarcation of cultural microregions : the case of the Huaxteca / Lorenzo Ochoa This world and beyond : food practices and the social order in Mayan religion / Brian Stross Maize was their flesh : ritual feasting in the Maya highlands / Allen J. Christenson From field to hearth : an earthly interpretation of Maya and other Mesoamerican creation myths / Michael D. Carrasco The flesh of god : cosmology, food, and the origins of political power in ancient southeastern Mesoamerica / David Freidel and F. Kent Reilly III.

The significance of food and feasting to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures has been extensively studied by archaeologists, anthropologists and art historians. Foodways studies have been critical to our understanding of early agriculture, political economies, and the domestication and management of plants and animals. Scholars from diverse fields have explored the symbolic complexity of food and its preparation, as well as the social importance of feasting in contemporary and historical societies. This book unites these disciplinary perspectives — from the social and biological sciences to art history and epigraphy — creating a work comprehensive in scope, which reveals our increasing understanding of the various roles of foods and cuisines in Mesoamerican cultures.

The volume is organized thematically into three sections. Part 1 gives an overview of food and feasting practices as well as ancient economies in Mesoamerica. Part 2 details ethnographic, epigraphic and isotopic evidence of these practices. Finally, Part 3 presents the metaphoric value of food in Mesoamerican symbolism, ritual, and mythology. The resulting volume provides a thorough, interdisciplinary resource for understanding, food, feasting, and cultural practices in Mesoamerica.

"The significance of food and feasting to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures has been extensively studied by archaeologists, anthropologists and art historians. Foodways studies have been critical to our understanding of early agriculture, political economies, and the domestication and management of plants and animals. Scholars from diverse fields have explored the symbolic complexity of food and its preparation, as well as the social importance of feasting in contemporary and historical societies. This book unites these disciplinary perspectives - from the social and biological sciences to art history and epigraphy - creating a work comprehensive in scope, which reveals our increasing understanding of the various roles of foods and cuisines in Mesoamerican cultures."--Jacket