Animal Symbolism in Postclassic Mesoamerica: Papers in Honor of Cecelia Klein

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Animal Symbolism in Postclassic Mesoamerica: Papers in Honor of Cecelia Klein," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Mesoamerican cultures during the Postclassic period often conveyed complex ideas through visual icons involving animal imagery. Postclassic images of animals often reference ritual performance, political and agricultural symbolism, mythology, cosmology, and animal behavior. Focusing on these iconic themes helps highlight the role specific animals played in Mesoamerican thought. Many of these Postclassic patterns can be reconstructed by studying colonial period sources and Postclassic art forms such as murals, reliefs and painted books. Our understanding of animal symbolism in Postclassic Mesoamerica is also enhanced by an analysis of the architectural context of animal imagery and the remains of animals in archaeological finds, especially animals that were sacrificed for ritual purposes. There are also important insights to be gained from studying the behavioral patterns of animals in the tropics, which helps elucidate the role animals played in Mesoamerica during the Postclassic period.