NSF Award
1550698
Dr. Kristin De Lucia of Weber State University and Dr. Enrique Rodríguez-Alegría of the University of Texas at Austin will undertake research to investigate the roles of religion and ritual in the construction of power during the growth of empires and in situations of conquest. Anthropologists have long studied to the study of the role of religion in political life and have noted how leaders frequently appropriate rituals and symbolism to create a sense of legitimacy, political solidarity, and to constitute power. The Aztecs, for example employed ritual sacrifice as a means of supporting conquest and legitimizing their own rule. After the Spanish conquest of Mexico, religion continued to be one of the varied strategies of domination used by colonizers, along with violence, coercion, and negotiation. Such processes are not unique to the past but may also be found in the modern world, particularly in situations of religious fundamentalism. How do leaders use religion to recruit new followers? What strategies work and which ones do not? If one can better understand these tactics, it will be possible to shed light on how these processes both shaped the past and play out today. Archaeology is uniquely suited to study the long-term influences of religion on political life as it is the only discipline that allows us to look at change over long periods of time. This research is also important because it will provide undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to gain training and experience in both archaeological excavation and laboratory analysis. The researchers will likewise work closely with community members to enhance knowledge of local history and archaeology and to promote science and learning among adults and youth.<br/><br/>Although it is known that religion played an important role in both Aztec and later Spanish domination, there is still little understanding of how and when elites appropriated and manipulated popular cosmologies, how provincial elites related to the religion of the capital, and how ordinary people responded to religious change. In order to better understand these processes, the investigators will conduct archaeological research at the pre-Hispanic regional center of Xaltocan, in the Basin of Mexico. The case-study of Xaltocan is particularly important since researchers are able to examine change spanning its 1,100-year history from the site?s initial founding as a small community, its growth into an important political center, and its eventual conquest by the Aztec Empire, and finally, the Spanish Empire. The research team will excavate ritual sites dating to the pre-Hispanic through colonial periods, including a possible pre-Hispanic temple, using rigorous scientific methodologies including ground penetrating radar (GPR), large-scale horizontal excavation, chemical analysis of living surfaces, and the analysis of micro-remains. These interdisciplinary datasets will permit examining long-term change in ritual practice and they will provide a better understanding of the strategies of intermediate elites, such as those of conquered towns like Xaltocan. This project will contribute to the literature on intermediate elites in ways that should be of interest to scholars in Aztec studies, anthropology, and religious studies.
