Mummies and Mortuary Monuments: A Postprocessual Prehistory of Central Andean Social Organization - Couverture souple

Isbell, William H.

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0292717997 ISBN 13 : 9780292717992

Editeur : University of Texas Press, 1997

Synopsis

Since prehistoric times, Andean societies have been organized around the ayllu, a grouping of real or ceremonial kinspeople who share labor, resources, and ritual obligations. Many Andean scholars believe that the ayllu is as ancient as Andean culture itself, possibly dating back as far as 6000 B.C., and that it arose to alleviate the hardships of farming in the mountainous Andean environment.

In this boldly revisionist book, however, William Isbell persuasively argues that the ayllu developed during the latter half of the Early Intermediate Period (around A.D. 200) as a means of resistance to the process of state formation. Drawing on archaeological evidence, as well as records of Inca life taken from the chroniclers, Isbell asserts that prehistoric ayllus were organized around the veneration of deceased ancestors, whose mummified bodies were housed in open sepulchers, or challups, where they could be visited by descendants seeking approval and favors. By charting the temporal and spatial distribution of chullpa ruins, Isbell offers a convincing new explanation of where, when, and why the ayllu developed.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

William H. Isbell is Professor and Chair of Anthropology at the State University of New York, Binghamton.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: University of Texas Press
• Date d'édition: 1997
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0292717997
• ISBN 13: 9780292717992
• Reliure: Broché
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 391
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible