Ancient Ceremonial Landscapes in Northern Arizona

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Wendy Ashmore’s concept of ceremonial landscapes highlights how sacred ideas and ritual practices are intertwined with “sacred geographies” and “spiritscapes.” Her ideas have been primarily applied to pre-Hispanic urban settings in the Americas, where cities and surrounding natural features are seen to manifest “cosmograms.” We think her broader concept has potential for understanding cultural dynamics in non-urban, low-population settings as well. Here, we draw on her work to explore an emergent ceremonial landscape in the Flagstaff area before and after the Sunset Crater volcanic eruption (beginning ca. AD 1080). We specifically consider the form and use of ball courts, which are the northernmost examples of quintessential Mesoamerican ceremonial structures. Along with plazas, unroofed great kivas, and platformed spaces, these features figure centrally in the performance of expansive public ritual in the shadow of the San Francisco Peaks. The geographic settings of ball courts, and their configuration relative to associated structures, both hint at localized and unique engagements with a broader ceremonial landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36542.0