Two Figurines and a Conquest: Toltec and Aztec Warriors in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca?

Summary

In this talk I will present a contextual and iconographic analysis of two unusual, yet almost identical, figurines of lavishly dressed warriors, reported from different sites in the Chontal Highlands of Oaxaca. While variations on mold-made solid figurines of armed individuals were common in Late Classic Oaxaca, the particular attributes of these figurines are more analogous to militaristic iconography emerging from Postclassic Central Mexico. Taking the figurines’ iconography and regional historical documents as a point of departure, I will evaluate possible scenarios for both Toltec and Aztec geopolitical interventions in the region. Finally, I will argue that these new data paint the eastern Sierra Sur not as the geographical obstacle it may have appeared in the recent past, but rather as a highly-traveled and coveted bridge between the Isthmus, the highlands, and the coastal regions of southern Mexico.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Mountain Towns and Crossroads: Archaeology of the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14420