Patterns of Elite Self-Presentation in North-Central Veracruz, Middle to Epiclassic Periods

Summary

Elite public imagery in north-central Veracruz during during the Cacahuatal phase (c. 350-600) focused on frontal presentations of single figures and a restricted iconography. The Late Classic brought considerable changes to elite self-presentation in the region, including a more complex multi-figure narrative format and the palma, a new costume object. Both of these changes were directly related to changes in the visual patterns of public sculpture and the performance of public rites. This essay looks at the changes in patterns of elite self-presentation from the iconic, earlier Cacahuatal through the complex narrativity of the Late and Terminal Classic periods (Isla A and B) against the backdrop of the growing importance of the urban center of El Tajín.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Reconsidering the "Epic" in the Epiclassic Period of Mesoamerica Part 1: Regional Interactions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage