Highland Mexican Souls as Essences and Symbols

Summary

The ancient Aztecs believed in multiple souls, including Tonalli, Ihiyotl, Yolia, and Nahualli. These souls overlap and extend beyond animated bodies. For example, the Tonalli is not only the heat of life and centered in the head but also an essence shared by animals and humans, similar to the Nahualli. Yolia refers to the physical heart and animates living beings. At death, it takes the form of a bird and flies away. These examples mix description and symbol: Is Tonalli literally heat or comparable to heat? Does the Yolia of a dying person become a bird or is it like a bird? I argue that neither an essentializing nor a constructive approach can resolve the quandary. Instead, I develop a dialectical model. I pay particular attention to ephemeral substances like fire that are both essences and representations of souls.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Smoke, Flames, and the Body in Mesoamerican Ritual Practice

Keywords

Spatial Coverage