Human Representations of Structure: A Theoretical Examination of Half-Conical Figurines from Teotihuacan, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Despite their ubiquity at Teotihuacan, little is known regarding the role of Half-Conical figurines in the everyday lives of Teotihuacanos. These figurines are thusly referred to as Half-Conicals due to their semi-conical shape. Produced primarily during the Xolalpan (350-550 CE) and Metepec (550-650 CE) periods of Teotihuacan’s history, these aesthetic human representations are rarely studied. While many figurine typologies were revealed in Teotihuacan’s material culture, these figurines varied from earlier traditions in their aesthetic quality-they are far more ornate and elaborately adorned than previous figurine traditions. Revealed in high, middle, and low status households, these figurines were likely available to all Teotihuacanos. Given their pervasiveness and importance in the Teotihuacan figurine tradition, the researcher seeks to evaluate the sociopolitical implications of Half-Conical figurine use at Teotihuacan through a practice and agent-based approach, arguing that these figurines were one of the many engines by which Teotihuacan elite perpetuated their social power. This social power, enacted by the elite through a top-down approach, led to dramatic changes in the social structure, structure that affected all elements of public and private life, including Half-Conical use in everyday life.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 29861