Signs of the Casas Grandes Shamans
Edition: New edition
Publisher: University of Utah Press
Published: February 20, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 192
ISBN-13: 9780874808742
Subjects: Indians of Mexico; Religion; Chihuahua (State); Archaeology / Anthropology; Sociology; Social Science; Native American; Mexico; Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies; Archaeology; Social Science / Archaeology; Anthropology - Cultural; Casas Grandes mythology; Casas Grandes pottery
Description: "Casas Grandes, or Paquime, in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, was home to a religious system that swept across what is now northern Mexico and the southern United States between AD 1200 and 1450. To commemorate this religion the people of Casas Grandes created striking polychrome pots with black and red geometric and naturalistic designs on a cream base. Their pottery provides a window to Casas Grandes cosmology." "Looking through this window, authors Christine and Todd VanPool find a world centered on shamans who took spiritual journeys to consort with supernatural creatures. The shamans called upon horned serpents to bring rain, the lifeblood for farmers living in the Chihuahuan desert; dealt with snakes that held powers more potent than their bites; and raised, sacrificed, and buried macaws as ritual offerings to ensure water and fertility." "These findings challenge long-held beliefs about Southwestern religion and force a reconsideration of the importance of shamanism in the development of social differentiation in societies around the world."--BOOK JACKET.