essay

The art and iconography of the Xochicalco stele

xochicalco mapping project2Published In 2000 • Pages: 83-101

By: Smith, Virginia.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In 1961 excavations under the direction of Cesar Sßenz recovered three carved stelae on the summit of a structure adjacent to the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpents in the Ceremonial Plaza on Cerro Xochicalco. In this paper Smith describes in detail the various carved elements on these stelae and attempts an explanation as to their meaning. The author's general conclusion is that much of the information on Xochicalco's public monuments deals with its social and political history, and that the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpents and the site's stelae provide us with information on the earliest named rulers in Central Mexico, including their titles, coronations, conquests, and other important historic events
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Mnemonic devices
Writing
Visual arts
Ordering of time
Chronologies and culture sequences
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Central Mexico Postclassic
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2009
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Mexico
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle; 2008
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1961-1964
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1350-1100 BP (650-900 AD)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Xochicalco, Gobernador Phase, Western Morelos, Mexico
NotesAdditional notes
Virginia Smith
For bibliographical references see document 31:Hirth
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
99027545
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Indians of Mexico--Mexico--Xochicalco--Antiquities/Indians of Mexico--Urban residence--Mexico--Xochicalco/City planning--Mexico--Xochicalco--History/Excavations (Archaeology)--Mexico--Xochicalco--Maps/Archaeological surveying--Mexico--Xochicalco--Maps/Xochicalco Site (Mexico)Xochicalco (Mexico)--Antiquities