Zapotec Funerary Rites as Documented by Alfonso Caso: Mining Archival Materials to Understand Ancient Ritual Behavior at Monte Albán

Summary

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

The precolumbian site of Monte Albán in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, presents a continuing challenge for scholars because the earliest scientific excavations at the site, conducted in the 1930s by noted archaeologist Alfonso Caso and his collaborators, were only partially published. This is particularly disappointing since many of the tombs of Monte Alban were undisturbed from precolumbian times until their discovery in the twentieth century, and the lack of data from the Oaxacan area is in stark contrast to much better documented Maya tombs and burials. Caso left unexpectedly detailed records on the contents of the tombs, however, creating thousands of catalogue cards to document the placement of their contents. Using these and other archival records, it is possible to recreate some of the tombs and their context, ultimately drawing some conclusions about overlooked facets of Zapotec funerary rituals.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37461.0