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

Marcus, Joyce

doi:doi:10.3998/mpub.11395180

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

Joyce Marcus 1998

To mark the completion of their digitization, UMMAA titles are temporarily free-to-read until the end of September 2021.

This book covers divination, figurine-making, and women's ritual treatment of ancestors in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, from 1600 to 500 BC.

Series

Memoirs

ISBN(s)

978-1-951519-93-3 (ebook)
978-0-915703-48-7 (paper)

Subject

Archaeology

Citable Link

Table of Contents
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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

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

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