Social skins of the head : body beliefs and ritual in ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes /
The meanings of ritualized head treatments among ancient Mesoamerican and Andean peoples is the subject of this book, the first overarching coverage of an important subject. Heads are sources of power that protect, impersonate, emulate sacred forces, distinguish or acquire identity within the native...
| Other Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Albuquerque :
University of New Mexico Press,
2018.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | The meanings of ritualized head treatments among ancient Mesoamerican and Andean peoples is the subject of this book, the first overarching coverage of an important subject. Heads are sources of power that protect, impersonate, emulate sacred forces, distinguish or acquire identity within the native world. The essays in this book examine these themes in a wide array of indigenous head treatments, including facial cosmetics and hair arrangements, permanent cranial vault and facial modifications, dental decorations, posthumous head processing and head hunting. They offer new insights into native understandings of beauty, power, age, gender and ethnicity. The contributors are experts from such diverse fields as skeletal biology, archaeology, aesthetics, forensics, taphonomy and art history. |
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| Physical Description: | xv, 283 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of color plates : illustrations, maps ; 29 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780826359636 0826359639 |