Feathered Serpents of the Oaxacan Isthmus and Pacific Coast, Mexico: Hybridity, Ritualized Environments, and Territorial-Narratives

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Tales of the Feathered Serpent: Refining Our Understanding of an Enigmatic Mesoamerican Being" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Feathered Serpent iconography among Mixtec, Zapotec, Chontal, and Huave ethnic groups of Oaxaca, Mexico indicates that its sociopolitical and religious roles are concomitant with an investment in mythological landscapes and spiritually active ritual environments. Our approach to hybrid serpents draws from multifaceted investigations into images, textiles, manuscripts, rituals, and festivals to determine their impact on territorial-narratives and, more specifically, the social dynamics within and between these ecologically and culturally diverse regions. Further, this paper highlights the cultural variability of Oaxaca’s Feathered Serpents both past and present to reshape our perception of composite creatures within terrestrial, celestial, and supernatural realms.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Tales of the Feathered Serpent: Refining Our Understanding of an Enigmatic Mesoamerican Being   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24200