Pre-Columbian Landscapes of Creation and Origin

Pre-Columbian Landscapes of Creation and Origin Edited by John Edward Staller, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL Pre-Columbian Andean and Mesoamerican cultures have inspired a special fascination among historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, as well as the general public. As two of the earliest known and studied civilizations, their origin and creation mythologies hold a special interest. The existing and Pre-Columbian cultures from these regions are particularly known for having a strong connection with the natural landscape, and weaving it into their mythologies. A landscape approach to archaeology in these areas is uniquely useful shedding insight into their cultural beliefs, practices, and values.The ways in which these cultures imbued their landscape with symbolic significance influenced the settlement of the population, the construction of monuments, as well as their rituals and practices. This edited volume combines research on Pre-Columbian cultures throughout Mesoamerica and South America, examining their constructed monuments and ritual practices. It explores the foundations of these cultures, through both the creation mythologies of ancient societies as well as the tangible results of those beliefs. It offers insight on specific case studies, combining evidence from the archaeological record with sacred texts and ethnohistoric accounts. The patterns developed throughout this work shed insight on the effect that perceived sacredness can have on the development of culture and society. This comprehensive and much-needed work will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists focused on Pre-Columbian studies, as well as those in the fields of cultural or religious studies with a broader geographic focus. Pre-Columbian Landscapes of Creation and Origin Edited by John Edward Staller, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL Pre-Columbian Andean and Mesoamerican cultures have inspired a special fascination among historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, as well as the general public. As two of the earliest known and studied civilizations, their origin and creation mythologies hold a special interest. The existing and Pre-Columbian cultures from these regions are particularly known for having a strong connection with the natural landscape, and weaving it into their mythologies. A landscape approach to archaeology in these areas is uniquely useful shedding insight into their cultural beliefs, practices, and values. The ways in which these cultures imbued their landscape with symbolic significance influenced the settlement of the population, the construction of monuments, as well as their rituals and practices. This edited volume combines research on Pre-Columbian cultures throughout Mesoamerica and South America, examining their constructed monuments and ritual practices. It explores the foundations of these cultures, through both the creation mythologies of ancient societies as well as the tangible results of those beliefs. It offers insight on specific case studies, combining evidence from the archaeological record with sacred texts and ethnohistoric accounts. The patterns developed throughout this work shed insight on the effect that perceived sacredness can have on the development of culture and society. This comprehensive and much-needed work will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists focused on Pre-Columbian studies, as well as those in the fields of cultural or religious studies with a broader geographic focus

Pre-Columbian Andean and Mesoamerican cultures have inspired a special fascination among historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, as well as the general public. As two of the earliest known and studied civilizations, their origin and creation mythologies hold a special interest. The existing and Pre-Columbian cultures from these regions are particularly known for having a strong connection with the natural landscape, and weaving it into their mythologies. A landscape approach to archaeology in these areas is uniquely useful shedding insight into their cultural beliefs, practices, and values. The ways in which these cultures imbued their landscape with symbolic significance influenced the settlement of the population, the construction of monuments, as well as their rituals and practices.

This edited volume combines research on Pre-Columbian cultures throughout Mesoamerica and South America, examining their constructed monuments and ritual practices. It explores the foundations of these cultures, through both the creation mythologies of ancient societies as well as the tangible results of those beliefs. It offers insight on specific case studies, combining evidence from the archaeological record with sacred texts and ethnohistoric accounts. The patterns developed throughout this work shed insight on the effect that perceived sacredness can have on the development of culture and society.

This comprehensive and much-needed work will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists focused on Pre-Columbian studies, as well as those in the fields of cultural or religious studies with a broader geographic focus.

An introduction to pre-Columbian landscapes of creation and origin / John E. Staller Ballcourt rites, paradise, and the origins of power in classic Veracruz / Rex Koontz Landscape and a visual narrative of creation and origin at the Olmec ceremonial center of La Venta / Carolyn E. Tate Maya caves across time and space : reading-related landscapes in K'iche' Maya text, ritual and history / Duncan Earle Places of emergence : sacred mountains and cofradía ceremonies / Allen J. Christenson Over distant waters : places of origin and creation in colonial K'iche'an sources / Frauke Sachse Fox walker on the Parapeti River, Bolivia : the origins of how we Guarani live in Íví / Elio Ortiz ... [et al.] Where the land and the ocean meet : the Engoroy phase ceremonial site at Salango, Ecuador, 600-100 BC / Richard Lunniss The astronomical significance of ritual movements in the calendar of Cuzco / R. Tom Zuidema Dimensions of place : the significance of centers to the development of Andean civilization : an exploration of the ushnu concept / John E. Staller High altitude ushnu platforms in the Department of Ayacucho Peru, structure, ancestors and animating essence / Frank M. Meddens ... [et al.] Representation, memory, and power : pre-Columbian landscapes of creation and origin / Brian Stross. Front Matter....Pages i-xxi Ballcourt Rites, Paradise, and the Origins of Power in Classic Veracruz....Pages 11-29 Landscape and a Visual Narrative of Creation and Origin at the Olmec Ceremonial Center of La Venta....Pages 31-65 Maya Caves Across Time and Space....Pages 67-93 Places of Emergence: Sacred Mountains and Cofradía Ceremonies....Pages 95-121 Over Distant Waters: Places of Origin and Creation in Colonial K'iche'an Sources....Pages 123-160 Fox Walker on the Parapeti River, Bolivia: The Origins of How We Guarani Live in Íví....Pages 161-202 Where the Land and the Ocean Meet: The Engoroy Phase Ceremonial Site at Salango, Ecuador, 600–100BC....Pages 203-248 The Astronomical Significance of Ritual Movements in the Calendar of Cuzco....Pages 249-267 Dimensions of Place: The Significance of Centers to the Development of Andean Civilization: An Exploration of the Ushnu Concept....Pages 269-313 High Altitude Ushnu Platforms in the Department of Ayacucho Peru, Structure, Ancestors and Animating Essence....Pages 315-355 Representation, Memory, and Power: Pre-Columbian Landscapes of Creation and Origin....Pages 357-378 Back Matter....Pages 379-389 Accompanying CD-ROM contains reproductions of the illustrations in the book.