Legacies of the Códice de Cholula: An Ethnoarchaeology of the Valley of Puebla’s Indigenous Landscape

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Bringing the Past to Life, Part 1: Papers in Honor of John M. D. Pohl" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ethnoarchaeology is a critical methodology for analyzing prehispanic and early colonial codices. Drawing on the foundational work of John Pohl and Bruce Byland’s In the Realm of 8 Deer, I discuss how ethnography can help decipher, contextualize, and bring to life Indigenous pictographic documents. My ethnoarchaeological fieldwork in Puebla, Mexico has produced new insights into the sixteenth century Códice de Cholula. Through interviews and participation in pilgrimages, I have located previously obscure locations, as well as elucidated the layout and cultural importance of the mountains, ravines, caves, and boundaries of the kingdom of Cholula. Importantly, ethnoarchaeology provides information on the continuity of Indigenous culture, such as the persisting social ties that pueblos still have to Cholula throughout the region. In particular, the mountains mentioned on the Códice de Cholula remain crucial monuments for constructing ethnic identity and affiliation. I focus on two prominent hills, Ehecatepetl of San Jerónimo Caleras and Cerro Montero of San Antonio Mihaucán. These hills have been the sites of Indigenous agendas to assert their autonomy in the face of expropriation and privatization. Through ethnoarchaeology, I present a panoramic of the Cholultecan landscape as a space of resistance and resilience.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bringing the Past to Life, Part 1: Papers in Honor of John M. D. Pohl   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37943.0