Joel Robbins
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520257702
- eISBN:
- 9780520944916
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520257702.003.0011
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Latin American Cultural Anthropology
The notarial documentation demonstrates that at least some Maya people in the pueblos learned to write and produced works in alphabetic script as early as the 1550s. The genres examined in the ...
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The notarial documentation demonstrates that at least some Maya people in the pueblos learned to write and produced works in alphabetic script as early as the 1550s. The genres examined in the previous two chapters are all part of the governance of the pueblos reducidos. It is perhaps unsurprising that the language in which they are cast is itself Maya reducido, with traces of doctrinal Maya. This chapter moves to the far end of the discourse formation, where texts were written by Maya authors for Maya addressees, outside the spheres of governance and mission. The works in question include the so-called Ritual of the Bacabs, a collection of medicinal prescriptions with scripted texts to be recited during treatment. They also include the Books of Chilam Balam (BCBs). Both kinds of work were external to reducción; the missionaries described them as superstitions and curiosities that impeded proper Christian practice. They perpetuated either sorcery, in the case of the medicinal texts, or subversive politics, in the case of the BCBs.Less
The notarial documentation demonstrates that at least some Maya people in the pueblos learned to write and produced works in alphabetic script as early as the 1550s. The genres examined in the previous two chapters are all part of the governance of the pueblos reducidos. It is perhaps unsurprising that the language in which they are cast is itself Maya reducido, with traces of doctrinal Maya. This chapter moves to the far end of the discourse formation, where texts were written by Maya authors for Maya addressees, outside the spheres of governance and mission. The works in question include the so-called Ritual of the Bacabs, a collection of medicinal prescriptions with scripted texts to be recited during treatment. They also include the Books of Chilam Balam (BCBs). Both kinds of work were external to reducción; the missionaries described them as superstitions and curiosities that impeded proper Christian practice. They perpetuated either sorcery, in the case of the medicinal texts, or subversive politics, in the case of the BCBs.
William Hanks
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520257702
- eISBN:
- 9780520944916
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520257702.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Latin American Cultural Anthropology
This synthesis of history, anthropology, and linguistics gives a view of the first two hundred years of the Spanish colonization of the Yucatec Maya. Drawing on a range of sources, it documents the ...
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This synthesis of history, anthropology, and linguistics gives a view of the first two hundred years of the Spanish colonization of the Yucatec Maya. Drawing on a range of sources, it documents the crucial role played by language in cultural conquest: how colonial Mayan emerged in the age of the cross, how it was taken up by native writers to become the language of indigenous literature, and how it ultimately became the language of rebellion against the system that produced it. The book includes analyses of the linguistic practices of both missionaries and Mayas—as found in bilingual dictionaries, grammars, catechisms, land documents, native chronicles, petitions, and the forbidden Maya Books of Chilam Balam. It presents an approach to the study of religious and cultural conversion that aims to illuminate the history of Latin America and beyond.Less
This synthesis of history, anthropology, and linguistics gives a view of the first two hundred years of the Spanish colonization of the Yucatec Maya. Drawing on a range of sources, it documents the crucial role played by language in cultural conquest: how colonial Mayan emerged in the age of the cross, how it was taken up by native writers to become the language of indigenous literature, and how it ultimately became the language of rebellion against the system that produced it. The book includes analyses of the linguistic practices of both missionaries and Mayas—as found in bilingual dictionaries, grammars, catechisms, land documents, native chronicles, petitions, and the forbidden Maya Books of Chilam Balam. It presents an approach to the study of religious and cultural conversion that aims to illuminate the history of Latin America and beyond.
Erik Boot
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780813066103
- eISBN:
- 9780813058276
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813066103.003.0009
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
According to native accounts, such as the Books of Chilam Balam and Spanish accounts from shortly after the Conquest, there were migrations with the foundation and rise of the kingdom of Chichén Itzá ...
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According to native accounts, such as the Books of Chilam Balam and Spanish accounts from shortly after the Conquest, there were migrations with the foundation and rise of the kingdom of Chichén Itzá during the Classic to Postclassic transition. The Itzá play a central role in these events, but their identity remains unclear. I address this first through an analysis of the native and Spanish accounts of their migration to bring some clarity to the historical record. I then address archaeological and epigraphic evidence of changes at Chichén Itzá that suggest a correlation of the historical and archaeological records. Finally, I discuss evidence from earlier inscriptions from the southern lowlands that suggests an origin for the Itzá in the area around the central Petén lakes.Less
According to native accounts, such as the Books of Chilam Balam and Spanish accounts from shortly after the Conquest, there were migrations with the foundation and rise of the kingdom of Chichén Itzá during the Classic to Postclassic transition. The Itzá play a central role in these events, but their identity remains unclear. I address this first through an analysis of the native and Spanish accounts of their migration to bring some clarity to the historical record. I then address archaeological and epigraphic evidence of changes at Chichén Itzá that suggest a correlation of the historical and archaeological records. Finally, I discuss evidence from earlier inscriptions from the southern lowlands that suggests an origin for the Itzá in the area around the central Petén lakes.
Debra S. Walker
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780813062792
- eISBN:
- 9780813051758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813062792.003.0001
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
Chapter 1 introduces the volume. It describes the geography of Chetumal Bay and its settlement history as well as problems in the archaeological chronology and the history of archaeological research ...
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Chapter 1 introduces the volume. It describes the geography of Chetumal Bay and its settlement history as well as problems in the archaeological chronology and the history of archaeological research in the region. It outlines relevant colonial and native documents (Chilam Balam) that inform us about the region prior to and at European contact. The origins of the terms Chetumal and Dzuluinicob are also considered, as are the migrations from Petén at the end of the Classic era, particularly the place called Siyan Kaan Bak’halal. After a review of various authors’ contributions, it outlines theoretical perspectives that track through the volume, focusing on settled landscapes, multiethnic communities, and trade.Less
Chapter 1 introduces the volume. It describes the geography of Chetumal Bay and its settlement history as well as problems in the archaeological chronology and the history of archaeological research in the region. It outlines relevant colonial and native documents (Chilam Balam) that inform us about the region prior to and at European contact. The origins of the terms Chetumal and Dzuluinicob are also considered, as are the migrations from Petén at the end of the Classic era, particularly the place called Siyan Kaan Bak’halal. After a review of various authors’ contributions, it outlines theoretical perspectives that track through the volume, focusing on settled landscapes, multiethnic communities, and trade.
