Papers by Radoslav Hlusek
Český lid, 2023
Mountains as reservoirs of water have always been an immanent and crucial part of the Mesoamerica... more Mountains as reservoirs of water have always been an immanent and crucial part of the Mesoamerican ritual landscape. Considered living beings, mountains are an important component of the core part of the Native worldview, which is particularly observable in Central Mexico, a region dominated by the highest peaks in Mesoamerica. Long before the Spanish conquest, the Nahua people who live in the area adopted and developed the ancient Mesoamerican tradition of sacred mountains, ritual landscapes and the agrarian cycle and have preserved it to this day, despite the efforts of Spanish missionaries after the conquest. This paper deals with the position of mountains within the framework of Nahua ritualism, as it has been preserved in Nahua communities in Central Mexico. The aim is to point out their central role as the structural axis of the Nahua worldview, as places where rituals associated with rainmaking, fertility and the agrarian cycle are performed.
Youth Eco Activism in Slovakia: Case of Wolf - Forest Protection Movement, 2015
The study deals with the activism of young Slovak people on the field of ecology and conservation... more The study deals with the activism of young Slovak people on the field of ecology and conservation of Slovak nature. As an example of this kind of activism Wolf-Forest Protection Movement was selected because it is the most active and most successful environmental organization in Slovakia. The main objective of this case study is to describe and analyse organisational structure and activities of Wolf on the background of wider general and theoretical framework what enables to classify this organisation in wide spectrum of youth activism, especially youth environmental activism in Slovakia. Apart from theoretical approach, organisational structure and broad range of activities of Wolf the study presents also political and civic attitudes of its young members, financing of the organisation and attractiveness of Wolf to young people in Slovakia.
Domorodé jazyky Mexika a ich postavenie v mexickej spoločnosti, 2021
The chapter is focused on the status of native languages in Mexico. The author analyses language ... more The chapter is focused on the status of native languages in Mexico. The author analyses language policy of this country during the last five hundred years that means since the conquest of Aztec Tenochtitlan by Spaniards. The chapter is divided into two substantial parts – language situation in colonial Mexico and language situation in independent Mexico. The first one reveals relatively liberal policy of Spanish Crown on the field of indigenous languages which was expressed by publishing of various and numerous grammars and dictionaries, as well as by using of these tongues for the purposes of Christianization of native Mexican peoples. The second part shows the change of language policy during independent era when the idea of united Mexican nation caused marginalization of indigenous peoples. Decrease of their social status had strong influence on the position of their languages which can be seen until now, even though the official policy of Mexican governments has been changed for the last almost three decades. Low social position together with globalization and hard economic situation of native communities have been reflected on the contemporary situation of indigenous languages in the country and all of them can be classified as endangered.
Reviews in Anthropology, 2020
The three books under review are collective monographs that consist of interdisciplinary approach... more The three books under review are collective monographs that consist of interdisciplinary approaches (archaeology, ethnohistory, cultural anthropology, anthropology of religion) and divided into sections according to discipline or more specific common topic. A leitmotif of all of them is ritual landscape, sacred mountains, the agricultural cycle and rainmaking rituals in Mesoamerica (mostly in its Mexican part) which have been present in this cultural area since pre-Hispanic times until the present day. The authors of particular contributions point out archaeological, historical and ethnographic evidence of these religious beliefs and ritual practices across the centuries and emphasize not only their antiquity but also their uninterrupted continuity. This tradition was incorporated into Christianity, thanks to which it survived missionary activities of the Spaniards as well as pitfalls of modern era and represents the core of popular religion in native Mexican communities.
The case study presented here deals with the phenomenon of Indian identity in Mexico from the rel... more The case study presented here deals with the phenomenon of Indian identity in Mexico from the religious point of view. It is
not focused that much on national, ethnic or linguistic criterions because they represent only separated identities in comparison
with religious identity which unifies Mexican Indians more than the others. I concentrate myself especially on the figure of
Our Lady of Guadalupe which thanks to her position of supra-regional and supreme saint but mostly Indian saint represents
most unifying factor in Mexican Indian world and identity and self-identification related to Virgin of Guadalupe mean that kind
of identity and self-identification in which the majority of the natives reaches an agreement. In this study I try to analyze the
historical process which led to contemporary situation when the position of the Virgin of Guadalupe seems to be indisputable.
However, it is obvious that it has not always been like that and the position of Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as Mexican Indian
identity related to her is strongly interlaced with Creole ideology of colonial period which found in the figure of the Virgin of
Guadalupe the symbol of Creole emancipation and as such it was spreading systematically the cult of Guadalupe in Indian
environment in which the cult, according to the legend of apparition, originated.
In this paper the author deals with the problems of ritual landscape, agricultural cycle and rain... more In this paper the author deals with the problems of ritual landscape, agricultural cycle and rainmaking rituals that are associated with them and which are still carried out in Hueyapan, the Nahua village in the Highlands of Morelos situated on southern slopes of Popocatepetl volcano. He describes the orography of Hueyapan with special emphasis on Popocatepetl and the role the volcano plays in the life of this peasant community. He also deals with the space and its conceptualization in the notion of the people in Hueyapan and points out the importance of north as most of the hills and mountains of Hueyapan territory are situated on northern perimeter, from where, because of the mountains, the rains come. The paper also deals with the ritual specialists called rainmakers who are responsible for the rains and subsequent abundant harvest.
Moderné vzdelávanie pre vedomostnú spoločnosť / Projekt je spolufi nancovaný zo zdrojov EÚ Financ... more Moderné vzdelávanie pre vedomostnú spoločnosť / Projekt je spolufi nancovaný zo zdrojov EÚ Financované z projektu "Podpora rozvoja ľudských zdrojov vo výskume a vývoji na FF UCM v Trnave", ITMS: 26110230104.
The study analyses the Codex Bratislavensis, a Spanish historical source from the Middle Ages whi... more The study analyses the Codex Bratislavensis, a Spanish historical source from the Middle Ages which belongs in its bare existence to the uniques among our archival public records. The fraction of the original manuscript preserved in the library of the Lyceum in Bratislava consists of three parts - the cosmographic discourse, the Portuguese voayages to India and the Spanish passages to India and the New World. The author, considering the topic of the book, focuses on the first and third part of the manuscript. He makes a detailed examination of the information provided by the Codex.
The essay deals with the language situation in Mexico in the era of globalization. It is not focu... more The essay deals with the language situation in Mexico in the era of globalization. It is not focused, however, only on the present day situation and does not discusses only last couple of decades during which globalization has become an indivisible part of all societies in the world, but it also discusses the language situation in Mexico during different periods of its history. Based on this historical perspective the contribution intends to analyze the impact of globalization on Mexican native languages and to explain their current position in the Spanish speaking environment. The essay also takes into consideration the influence of English as a universal tongue of globalization and explains why the position of this language as a tool of globalization is weak in Mexico in comparison with Spanish.
The papers analyzes globalisation processes in native communities in Mexico. It focuses on the qu... more The papers analyzes globalisation processes in native communities in Mexico. It focuses on the questions of territory, economy, migration, tourism, informations technology and ecology. These questions we consider to be the most important in the process of globalisation, even though they represent only a sample of more numerous questions related to this process. The lack of territory signifies that there is less and less land owned by native Mexicans which means no place where they might be able to preserve their cultures. Together with overpopulation and ecological problems it pressures native Mexicans to migrate to the towns or even the USA which has a deep influence on the stability of conservative indigenous communities. The access to information and the growth of tourism in which they participate also open the communities to the outer world. Therefore they must face up to the changes which are quicker than ever before and it is hard to foretell the final impact of globalisation on native Mexican peoples.
This article deals with the history of Mexico from the point of view of its original inhabitants.... more This article deals with the history of Mexico from the point of view of its original inhabitants. From this point of view of historical importance it is divided into four parts - Mexico before the conquest, colonial Mexico, Mexico after achieving independence and post-revolutionary Mexico. First chapter is focused to describe the social and political system of the Aztec empire as the hegemonic class at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, and whose organization serves as an exemplary model. In the second chapter we are focusing on the change of social status of its inhabitants after the conquest of Mexico by the Europeans. The Indians have lost their indenpendence, the ruling elite their positions, although for the common Indians there was practically no change in their way of life. However, the existence of the Republic of the Indians, the Republic of the Spaniards and also the indigenous laws show that the natives, at least according to the legislation, were protected by the Spanish legislative system. This has changed substantially after the indenpendence and the birth of the Republic (chapter three) influenced by liberalism. At the time of the annulment of communal land ownership, the economic status of the indigenous people was weakened, caused marginalization and the situation of the indigenous people became a social problem. The deplorable situation of the indigenous communities began to be addressed only after the Mexican Revolution. With the agrarian reform through the ejidos, large extensions of land were returned to the natives. However, and in spite of other supports, the indigenous problem and their marginalization continues and has not been solved. It continues and even more, since the 90's, and thanks to the defeat of the agrarian reform, globalization and neoliberalism has intensified, which reflects negatively on their communities.
The movement of Euro-Indians in Slovakia has a relatively long history which is connected with th... more The movement of Euro-Indians in Slovakia has a relatively long history which is connected with the same movement in the Czech Republic. The break-up of former Czecho-Slovakia in 1993 meant a division of the Euro-Indian movement, which was united up to that point, into two parts—Slovak and Czech. Although both of them have never stopped mutually co-operating, it is not possible to deny that since 1993 Slovak and Czech Euro-Indians have gone their own way. This chapter is concerned with the history of this movement in the wider European and North American context and with the organisation and activities of Slovak Euro-Indians in the framework of Slovak society.
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City represents the central point on the map of Mexic... more Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City represents the central point on the map of Mexican Catholicism and as the most important sanctuary in whole country it attracts masses of pilgrims every year. There are a lot of Virgins in Mexico but only Virgin of Guadalupe acquired the position of national saint as the consequence of policy of independent Mexico since the War of Independence. As Mexican Virgin which comes from Mexican land she became the symbol of the new nation. But we can observe two major lines in her cult – the official one which considers the Virgin to be Virgin Mary, and the native one which consider her to be Mother Earth and the patron of Mexican Indians. The apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 took place on the hill of Tepeyac where the ancient sanctuary of Nahua, maternal godess Tonantzin, had existed before the conquest. The Indians identified the new Virgin with their traditional deity and continued to pilgrimage to the same place as they did before. That is why the native Mexicans accepted Our Lady of Guadalupe and considered her to be their mother and patron. And one of the biggest demonstrations of their devotion to her are the pilgrimages which were common in pre-Hispanic religious practices as well as in the Catholic tradition. To pilgrimage to basilica is considered to be a great honor and millions of pilgrims leave their villages for Tepeyac every year to pray for prosperity of their families and the entire community. For the purpose of this study, which is the investigation of the phenomenon of pilgrimage from anthropological point of view, we chose as an example so called Pilgrimage with the torch, which is organized in Nahua community of Santa Clara Huitziltepec in the state of Puebla.
Books by Radoslav Hlusek
Na křídlech aztéckeho orla, 2022
The massif of Sierra de Tentzo in Mexican state of Puebla represents
the center of a microregion,... more The massif of Sierra de Tentzo in Mexican state of Puebla represents
the center of a microregion, which is inhabited mostly by
Nahuas, if we take into consideration the Native point of view.
Central position within the Nahua worldview has belonged to
this mountain range since pre‑Hispanic
times because in the spirit
of Mesoamerican religious ideas associated with the agriculture
it represents the source of water and abundance to them.
Personified as Tentzohuehue the massif is still perceived as alive
in Nahua communities of the microregion, whose inhabitants sees
him as somebody who gives water and provides prosperity.
Within the process of Christianization, however, the transformation,
which ascribed also significant negative aspect to Tentzo
took place. Thanks to it Tentzo became the residence of devil,
as well. The aim of this chapter is to point out the position Tentzo
has held in the worldview and so called ritual landscape of local
Nahuas to this day. Because of this position it is still the object of
reverence, but at the same time the source of concerns and fear.
Identity, Tradition, and Revitalization of American Indian Cultures, 2017
The identity of Mexican native peoples represents a very complex and specific subject of anthropo... more The identity of Mexican native peoples represents a very complex and specific subject of anthropological research. Even though it is possible to make comparisons of the same issue with different parts of the world, the example of the Indians in Mexico shows us that approach and attitude to self-identification of native inhabitants of this country should be studied not only within the general anthropological framework and terminology, but also with respect to the particular cultural and social environment of native Mexican cultures.In this work the principles of residential and social identification are used to demonstrate self-identification, complemented by religious identity, based on Catholicism and belief in the Virgin of Guadalupe. Two case studies are used as examples: Nahua communities in Central Mexico – Santa Clara Huitziltepec in Puebla and Hueyapan in Morelos. The intention of the research is to not only show common features based on these principles, but also to point out the differences which arose from the different geographical position of each community and which caused different degree of danger of traditional cultural values.
Histories of Nationalism beyond Europe - Myths, Elitism and Transnational Connections, 2022
The chapter deals with the specific case of Mexican nationalism which shows different features th... more The chapter deals with the specific case of Mexican nationalism which shows different features than its counterparts in Europe. There are some common attributes of the origin of nationalisms like technology of printing, Enlightenment o territory which Mexican nationalism shares with the European ones, however, other attributes like the language, engagement of lower classes or the influence of Reformation were not present or important. The conflict between Creoles and metropolis which led to the war for independence, stemmed from the exclusion of the Creoles from the political power and due to that the metropolis started to be perceived by the Creoles as the oppressor. To distinguish themselves from the Spain the Creoles, who started feeling more Mexicans than Spaniards, were looking for a national symbol and they found it in the religious sphere, in the figure of Our Lady of Guadalupe – a Virgin Mary associated exclusively with their motherland and not with Spain. As such she became not only a symbol of the Creoles and patroness of their struggle for independence but within the course of time the most unifying element of otherwise quite heterogeneous Mexican society.
Nican Mopohua - domorodý príbeh o zjavení Panny Márie Guadalupskej, 2014
Hľadanie originálu a jeho autora Huey tlamahuiçoltica Autorstvo Nican mopohua Antonio Valeriano O... more Hľadanie originálu a jeho autora Huey tlamahuiçoltica Autorstvo Nican mopohua Antonio Valeriano Osud originálu Kresťanská legenda a indiánska symbolika Kresťanská legenda Indiánska symbolika Symbolika obrazu III. PALEOGRAFICKÝ PREPIS A SLOVENSKÝ PREKLAD Niekoľko poznámok k náhuatlu, paleografii a prekladu Paleografický prepis a slovenský preklad Slovník použitých nahuaských výrazov Záver Resumen Summary Literatúra Register A Afričania (černosi) 42, 45 albit 155 Alexander VII.
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Papers by Radoslav Hlusek
not focused that much on national, ethnic or linguistic criterions because they represent only separated identities in comparison
with religious identity which unifies Mexican Indians more than the others. I concentrate myself especially on the figure of
Our Lady of Guadalupe which thanks to her position of supra-regional and supreme saint but mostly Indian saint represents
most unifying factor in Mexican Indian world and identity and self-identification related to Virgin of Guadalupe mean that kind
of identity and self-identification in which the majority of the natives reaches an agreement. In this study I try to analyze the
historical process which led to contemporary situation when the position of the Virgin of Guadalupe seems to be indisputable.
However, it is obvious that it has not always been like that and the position of Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as Mexican Indian
identity related to her is strongly interlaced with Creole ideology of colonial period which found in the figure of the Virgin of
Guadalupe the symbol of Creole emancipation and as such it was spreading systematically the cult of Guadalupe in Indian
environment in which the cult, according to the legend of apparition, originated.
Books by Radoslav Hlusek
the center of a microregion, which is inhabited mostly by
Nahuas, if we take into consideration the Native point of view.
Central position within the Nahua worldview has belonged to
this mountain range since pre‑Hispanic
times because in the spirit
of Mesoamerican religious ideas associated with the agriculture
it represents the source of water and abundance to them.
Personified as Tentzohuehue the massif is still perceived as alive
in Nahua communities of the microregion, whose inhabitants sees
him as somebody who gives water and provides prosperity.
Within the process of Christianization, however, the transformation,
which ascribed also significant negative aspect to Tentzo
took place. Thanks to it Tentzo became the residence of devil,
as well. The aim of this chapter is to point out the position Tentzo
has held in the worldview and so called ritual landscape of local
Nahuas to this day. Because of this position it is still the object of
reverence, but at the same time the source of concerns and fear.
not focused that much on national, ethnic or linguistic criterions because they represent only separated identities in comparison
with religious identity which unifies Mexican Indians more than the others. I concentrate myself especially on the figure of
Our Lady of Guadalupe which thanks to her position of supra-regional and supreme saint but mostly Indian saint represents
most unifying factor in Mexican Indian world and identity and self-identification related to Virgin of Guadalupe mean that kind
of identity and self-identification in which the majority of the natives reaches an agreement. In this study I try to analyze the
historical process which led to contemporary situation when the position of the Virgin of Guadalupe seems to be indisputable.
However, it is obvious that it has not always been like that and the position of Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as Mexican Indian
identity related to her is strongly interlaced with Creole ideology of colonial period which found in the figure of the Virgin of
Guadalupe the symbol of Creole emancipation and as such it was spreading systematically the cult of Guadalupe in Indian
environment in which the cult, according to the legend of apparition, originated.
the center of a microregion, which is inhabited mostly by
Nahuas, if we take into consideration the Native point of view.
Central position within the Nahua worldview has belonged to
this mountain range since pre‑Hispanic
times because in the spirit
of Mesoamerican religious ideas associated with the agriculture
it represents the source of water and abundance to them.
Personified as Tentzohuehue the massif is still perceived as alive
in Nahua communities of the microregion, whose inhabitants sees
him as somebody who gives water and provides prosperity.
Within the process of Christianization, however, the transformation,
which ascribed also significant negative aspect to Tentzo
took place. Thanks to it Tentzo became the residence of devil,
as well. The aim of this chapter is to point out the position Tentzo
has held in the worldview and so called ritual landscape of local
Nahuas to this day. Because of this position it is still the object of
reverence, but at the same time the source of concerns and fear.