The Shaman-Priests of the Casas Grandes Region, Chihuahua, Mexico
Abstract
The Casas Grandes culture flourished between two well-known regions: Mesoamerica and the North American Southwest. An analysis of Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) pottery suggests that Paquimé, the center of the Casas Grandes world, was dominated by shaman-priests. The pottery includes images that document a “classic shamanic journey” between this world and the spirit world. These images can be connected to the leaders of Paquimé and to valuable objects from West Mexico, indicating that the Casas Grandes leadership had more in common with the Mesoamerican system of shaman-leaders than with the political system of the Pueblo world of the North American Southwest.
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The association of serpents with elite burials, as well as with ritual vessels with shamanic imagery and paraphernalia found in the House of the Walk-in Well, indicates the association of these ritualists with the Paquimé institutionalized elite class.
“This association of serpents with elite burials, as well as with ritual vessels with shamanic imagery and paraphernalia found in the House of the Walk-in Well, indicates the association of these ritualists with the Paquimé institutionalized elite class (VanPool 2003b).”
From An Ethnological Analogy and Biogenetic Model for Interpretation of Religion and Ritual in the Past (2022) · cites this paper as VanPool 2003b
The presence of shamans was determined through analysis of Casas Grandes pots with a pound sign symbol exclusively associated with male effigies, smoking images and items, dancers wearing richly adorned feathered headdress, and various anthropomorphs.
“The presence of shamans was determined through analysis of Casas Grandes pots with a special symbol-the pound sign symbol (also with small isolated circles)-which is exclusively associated with male effigies, smoking images and items, dancers wearing richly adorned feathered headdress, and various anthropomorphs (VanPool 2003b, p. 703).”
From An Ethnological Analogy and Biogenetic Model for Interpretation of Religion and Ritual in the Past (2022) · cites this paper as VanPool 2003b
Cites
Towards an experiential analysis of shamanism
PETERS, L. G., & PRICE‐WILLIAMS, D. (1980) · American Ethnologist · doi:10.1525/ae.1980.7.3.02a00010 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
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The Archaeology of Religious Ritual
Fogelin, L. (2007) · Annual Review of Anthropology · doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.36.081406.094425 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
An Ethnological Analogy and Biogenetic Model for Interpretation of Religion and Ritual in the Past
Winkelman, M. J. (2022) · Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory · doi:10.1007/s10816-021-09523-9 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“This association of serpents with elite burials, as well as with ritual vessels with shamanic imagery and paraphernalia found in the House of the Walk-in Well, indicates the association of these ritualists with the Paquimé institutionalized elite class (VanPool 2003b).”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- VanPool, C. S.
- Affiliations
- University of New Mexico (US)
- Corresponding author
- VanPool, Christine S.
- Venue
- American Antiquity
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2003-10
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 696-717
- ISSN
- 0002-7316 (ISSN-L)
- 2325-5064
- OpenAlex
- W1985754400
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 8 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 38.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Antiquity (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Latin American history and culture
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Historical Studies in Central America
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Keywords
- Paquimé, shamanic journey, spiritual world, Chihuahua
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