Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica

Animal Symbolism in the Postclassic Period

Susan Milbrath, Elizabeth Baquedano, Susan Milbrath, Elizabeth Baquedano

• Publisher: University Press of Colorado
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9781646427710
  9781646424603
• eBook ISBN:
  9781646424610
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Archaeology
• Index: Social Sciences

Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica links Precolumbian animal imagery with scientific data related to animal morphology and behavior, providing in-depth studies of the symbolic importance of animals and birds in Postclassic period Mesoamerica.
 
Representations of animal deities in Mesoamerica can be traced back at least to Middle Preclassic Olmec murals, stone carvings, and portable art such as lapidary work and ceramics. Throughout the history of Mesoamerica real animals were merged with fantastical creatures, creating zoological oddities not unlike medieval European bestiaries. According to Spanish chroniclers, the Aztec emperor was known to keep exotic animals in royal aviaries and zoos. The Postclassic period was characterized by an iconography that was shared from central Mexico to the Yucatan peninsula and south to Belize. In addition to highlighting the symbolic importance of nonhuman creatures in general, this volume focuses on the importance of the calendrical and astronomical symbolism associated with animals and birds.
 
Inspired by and dedicated to the work of Mesoamerican scholar Cecelia Klein and featuring imagery from painted books, monumental sculpture, portable arts, and archaeological evidence from the field of zooarchaeology, Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica highlights the significance of the animal world in Postclassic and early colonial Mesoamerica. It will be important to students and scholars studying Mesoamerican art history, archaeology, ethnohistory, and zoology.
 
 
 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Reflections on the Scholarship of Cecelia Ford Klein and on Animal Symbolism in Mesoamerica
• 3. How to Construct a Dragon for a Changing World: The Zoomorph on the Venus Platform at Chichen Itza
• 4. Pumas and Eagles and Wolves, Oh My! The Appropriation and Alteration of Teotihuacan Processing Predators at Tula
• 5. An Animal Kingdom at Chichen Itza: Reconstructing a Sculptural Tableau at the Sacred Cenote
• 6. Iconography and Symbolism of Frogs and Toads in the Aztec World and Beyond
• 7. Coyolxauhqui’s Serpents: Political Metaphors in Mexica-Azteca Sculptures
• 8. Quail in the Religious Life of the Ancient Nahuas
• 9. Lessening the Sting: Huipil Power and Deadly Scorpions
• 10. Dressed to Kill: Richly Adorned Animals in the Offerings of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan
• 11. Animal Symbolism in Calendar Almanacs of the Codex Borgia and Links to Postclassic Imagery in Mexico
• 12. The New Year Pages of the Dresden Codex and the Concept of Co-essence
• 13. Animal Manifestations of the Creator Deities in the Maya Codices and the Popol Vuh
• 14. A New World Bestiary in Postclassic Mesoamerica
• Index
• About the Authors