Cambridge Journals Online

AGRICULTURAL POLE RITUALS AND RULERSHIP IN LATE FORMATIVE CENTRAL JALISCO

Christopher S.  Beekman  a1 c1 a1 Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Denver, Campus Box 103, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217, USA

Article author query beekman cs

Abstract

Recent research into the Teuchitlan tradition continues to improve our understanding of western Mexico's relationship to the rest of Mesoamerica. The tradition is defined on the basis of its distinctive public architecture, yet little research has been done to explore the significance of these temples for political organization. I propose that a more emic analysis of the political system can clarify the relationship among architecture, ritual, and political elites in Late Formative (300 B.C.–A.D. 200) Jalisco. I make use of indigenous ceramic dioramas; recent excavation data from Llano Grande, Jalisco; ethnohistoric accounts of the Xocotl Huetzi festival of the Postclassic and Contact periods; and ethnographic accounts of similar celebrations to propose a maize-focused interpretation of ritual and rulership in the Teuchitlan tradition.