New perspectives on the identities and ideologies of localized ancient Andean communities through the examination of figurines.

Author(s): Amanda Sinclair

Year: 2016

Summary

This paper explores the quotidian use of figurines by the inhabitants of the village of Ak’awillay in the Cusco region. Most scholars have defined figurines as political tools used to support state ideologies. This research expands on this effort and focuses on the use of figurines in domestic contexts among non-state societies. The study of figurines from Ak’awillay and comparative data from archaeological and ethnographic contexts suggest that figurines had multiple uses and included ancestor veneration, shamanistic aids, and offerings. These results shed light on small scale practices of social reproduction, the definition of ideologies, household beliefs, and social identities including status and ethnicity.

Cite this Record

New perspectives on the identities and ideologies of localized ancient Andean communities through the examination of figurines.. Amanda Sinclair. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 403823)

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Keywords

General
domestic • figurines • Ritual

Geographic Keywords
South America

Spatial Coverage

min long: -93.691; min lat: -56.945 ; max long: -31.113; max lat: 18.48 ;