Ritual Transformation in Formative Period Oaxaca: A Comparative Analysis of Deity Impersonation, Nagualism, and Hybrid Beings

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Checking the Pulse II: Current Research in Oaxaca Part 2" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

A hallmark of ancient Mesoamerican art and religion is the ability of powerful ritual practitioners, sometimes referred to as “shamans,” to transform themselves. The Olmec were-jaguar is probably the best-known example of the phenomenon. However, artifacts from different regions of Mesoamerica demonstrate that this was a diverse set of beliefs and practices involving a variety of animal and spiritual entities and a generally permeable boundary between humans and other beings. In this paper, we trace the archaeology of ritual transformation in Formative period (2000 BCE–250 CE) Oaxaca, Mexico, from a comparative and diachronic perspective. The Formative period witnessed the elaboration of the concept of transformation, whereby people gained access to metaphysical powers and negotiated a range of societal roles by transforming their bodies. As links between the physical world and other dimensions, altered bodies may reflect negotiated relationships among people, animals, ancestors, deities, landforms, and many more other-than-human beings. We examine archaeological and iconographic evidence from highland and coastal Oaxaca, including indications of masked deity impersonation, nagualism, and divination. By taking an explicitly relational approach, we consider the affective energies of these occurrences as distinct ways of knowing the world, engaging and modifying the senses, and acquiring knowledge.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Checking the Pulse II: Current Research in Oaxaca Part 2   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38460.0