Music and Sound Practices in the Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Advances in Puebla/Tlaxcala Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

More than a means for communication, sound, and music contributed to the formation of identities in the Puebla-Tlaxcala valley during the Late Postclassic to early colonial period. In particular, sonic assemblages contain multisensorial data that can be used to identify how knowledge and musical practices are shared among communities. These communities used sound and music in all forms of activities, including rituals and aesthetics. Yet, little is known about the composition of these assemblages and how they contributed to a broader sensorial experience unique to these communities. To better understand how communities may have shared musical knowledge in the Puebla-Tlaxcala valley, I turn to archaeological collections of three of the four señoríos that once formed the capital of Tlaxcallan in the late prehispanic period. Additionally, I discuss how ancient musical instruments continue to play a role in ritual performances of contemporary and remote communities of the Sierra Norte de Puebla.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Advances in Puebla/Tlaxcala Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36457.0