essay
The Chalcatzingo reliefs: an iconographic analysis
ancient chalcatzingo • Austin • Published In 1987 • Pages: 132-158
By: Angulo V., Jorge.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Angulo tackles the iconography of the carved stone monuments at the highland site of Chalcatzingo, taking a direct historical approach that, in this case, follows the 'Mother Culture' hypothesis that subsequent Mesoamerican symbolism and beliefs had their origins in Olmec culture emanating from the Gulf Coast core area. Carvings on rock outcroppings and boulders that portray mythical-religious themes emphasizing zoomorphic representations probably pertain to the Middle Formative period. Stelae that feature important persons, ritual events and even texts were placed on man-made terraces and may be Late Formative period in date. Analysis emphasizes motifs rather than overall composition, although motifs tend to be repetitive within the monument groups defined in Grove: 1987 (Document 12). A unifying theme in one group is taken to be related to the seasonality of rain critical to agricultural production, with cosmological and meteorological phenomena represented by animal figures that also could have been totems of clans participating in ritual cycles at the site. Another group is interpreted as representing a mythological cycle involving feline avatars, hero twins, Venus, the death and rebirth of the sun in its daily circuit through a watery underworld, and the possible sacrifice of war captives to perpetuate the cosmos; precursors of common themes in later Mesoamerican myth and ritual. A small number of carvings likely depict the ball game, with its ritual paraphernalia and cosmographic references. Stelae with possible rudimentary glyphs may depict actual important people and events, and a fragment may carry calendar glyphs with a Middle Formative period date. Defaced artwork is interpreted as a ritual symbolizing the release of the soul of the deceased person to which they pertained; stone monuments in the case of elites and ceramic figurines for commoners. The work concludes with a general synthesis of native Mesoamerican philosophical and religious beliefs not necessarily confined to the Olmec-influenced culture at Chalcatzingo, but that may have originated with (or at least been systematized by) the Olmec, transformed at the time of their decline and disappearance in the Late Formative period into mass public ceremony with more overt emphasis on temporal power.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Visual arts
- Ethnozoology
- Ethnometeorology
- Mnemonic devices
- Comparative evidence
- traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Olmec
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2000
- 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
- Leon G. Doyon ; 2007
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1972-1976
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 3100 BP-2500 BP.
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Chalcatzingo, Morelos State, Mexico
- NotesAdditional notes
- Jorge Angulo V. ; TAKUHóN illustrations by Chappie Angulo
- For bibliographical references see Grove: 1987 (Document 3)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 85022673
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Olmecs