The Flower World in Central Mexico After the Collapse of Teotihuacan, AD 600-900

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Flower World: Religion, Aesthetics, and Ideology in Mesoamerica and the American Southwest" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During the tumultuous Epiclassic period (AD 600-900), several smaller polities in Central Mexico and the Gulf Coast rose to prominence in the wake of the collapsed metropolis of Teotihuacan. Although this period is often characterized by rampant militarism, wide-ranging economic activities, and eclectic monumental art programs that incorporate foreign styles, few studies have considered the role that religious ideology played in these phenomena. Flower World imagery is prevalent in the monumental and portable artwork of Cacaxtla, Xochicalco, Teotenango, and other Epiclassic polities. While beliefs pertaining to a solar paradise inhabited by the souls of deceased warriors were inherited from Teotihuacan, Epiclassic elites adapted and modified aspects of the Flower World complex to suit new political and economic strategies. The Epiclassic Flower World complex valorized warfare and linked elites through shared ritual practice, identity, and exchange of exotic prestige goods.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Flower World: Religion, Aesthetics, and Ideology in Mesoamerica and the American Southwest   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23239