Toward an Ideology of Mesoamerican Ritual Sacrifice: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New Perspectives on Ritual Violence and Related Human Body Treatments in Ancient Mesoamerica" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

As a cultural adaptive strategy, ritual sacrifice throughout Mesoamerica has had multiple purposes including providing a sense of control over the forces of nature aimed at attaining desired outcomes, especially those related to agricultural production. When human sacrifice was involved, such rituals and ceremonies also were agents of social control, eliminating competitive rivalry through fear and intimidation, contributing to the stratification of society, perpetuating the inheritance of noble estates, and maintaining hierarchical rank of lineage members. Considered within the context of obligatory reciprocity, it becomes easier to appreciate and understand the significance of human sacrifice as common practice among different societies since time immemorial by providing a venue for elites to assert their power and dominance over other noble houses and commoners. This paper examines data from southern Mexico that, when compared to other Mesoamerican regions, strongly suggest the existence of a shared ideology regarding ritual sacrifice that cuts across space, time, and ethnic identity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• New Perspectives on Ritual Violence and Related Human Body Treatments in Ancient Mesoamerica

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33042