The Mexican Pantheon in Postclassic Pacific Nicaragua

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Postclassic Mesoamerica: The View from the Southern Frontier" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Colonial sources describe interaction between central Mexican groups and Central American cultures, including possible migration and colonization, during the Postclassic period (900–1520 CE). Linguistic and art historical evidence has been used to support and reify this connection. A 20-plus year archaeological program by the University of Calgary, however, has found limited evidence for large-scale migration into Pacific Nicaragua, thus challenging population replacement models that have dominated the literature. A more nuanced reading of the material culture, particularly iconography on polychrome pottery, allows interpretation of Mexican religious ideology beginning in the Early Postclassic period. Whereas feathered serpents have long been recognized in Greater Nicoya artistic renderings, detailed analyses of ceramics now offer evidence of other members of the central Mexican pantheon, including Ehecatl, Yiacatecuhtli, Mixcoatl, Cihuacoatl, and Tlaloc. Interestingly, some of these representations predate their appearance in central Mexico itself, complicating previous interpretations of Postclassic culture contact. Furthermore, these innovative elements offer insights into developing belief systems as Mexican deities became integrated with native animism.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Postclassic Mesoamerica: The View from the Southern Frontier

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32952