Papers by Lilia Fernandez Souza
University of Texas Press eBooks, Dec 31, 2020
Routledge eBooks, Jun 17, 2020
Ancient Mesoamerica, 2023
The structure of power underlying the hegemonic control Chichen Itza held over the Northern Maya ... more The structure of power underlying the hegemonic control Chichen Itza held over the Northern Maya Lowlands has been debated for decades. In this article, we present the idea of a dominant discourse on masculinities, which played a fundamental role in both practice and on a symbolic level among the strategies designed to support this emblematic pre-Columbian capital. Our discussion of archaeological evidence will focus on spaces where men are represented, where they would meet and carry out rituals. We contend that gallery-patios such as Structure 2D6 served as instruction and socialization locales for groups of warriors. The architectural configuration of this building is very similar to a series of venues at Chichen Itza and other Mesoamerican cities. In these spaces, associated iconography depicts male individuals in processions and ritual practice, including sacrifice and self-sacrifice. We argue that the gallery of Structure 2D6 was a semipublic, performative space, whose theatricality combined the central alignment of a sacrificial stone and a throne or altar with the presence of several patolli boards carved into the building's plaster floor. Chemical analyses of plastered surfaces testify to intense activities taking place around all three of these features.
Heritage, 2020
In the Mexican state of Yucatán, the Industrial Revolution is intimately linked to the cultivatio... more In the Mexican state of Yucatán, the Industrial Revolution is intimately linked to the cultivation and commercialization of henequen (Agave fourcroydes). The second half of the nineteenth and the first decade of the twentieth century are most often referred to as the region’s Gilded Age. Some local families accrued immense wealth, while many peasants were essentially enslaved. The city of Mérida saw the construction of magnificent mansions, and the new port of Progreso was connected through thousands of kilometers of railroads. At the same time, the rural landscape experienced the foundation of countless new and the expansion of existing haciendas. In this article, we provide a comparison of the relational memory of local communities regarding three of these historical settlements: San Pedro Cholul, San Antonio Nohuayún, and San Antonio Sihó. We present the circumstances leading to the historical archaeology project at San Pedro and recount our efforts at involving its descendant co...
STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research, 2019
In archaeological research about feeding modes of past societies, different interests and methodo... more In archaeological research about feeding modes of past societies, different interests and methodologies have been developed. In their search for knowledge about Mayan foods and cooking methods, scholars such as Herrera Flores and Götz [2014. "La alimentación de los
Temas Antropologicos Revista Cientifica De Investigaciones Regionales, 2004
Memorias del VI Simposio de Cultura Maya Ichkaantijo, 2018
La arquitectura vernácula es un vehículo de información a través del cual es posible conocer aspe... more La arquitectura vernácula es un vehículo de información a través del cual es posible conocer aspectos propios de una sociedad. La arquitectura de los mayas prehispánicos no ha sido la excepción, ya que tanto la arquitectura vernácula monumental como la arquitectura perecedera o semi-perecedera, han sido una importante fuente de información que proveen valiosos datos acerca de aspectos como la tecnología y las prácticas constructivas y de manifestaciones materiales de aspectos socioeconómicos de las sociedad maya. En esta ponencia presentamos y discutimos expresiones de la arquitectura vernácula del sitio de Sihó, Yucatán, durante el período Clásico, comparándola con técnicas y usos de espacio constructivo en la región, con una perspectiva diacrónica.
THE GODS THAT NEVER LEFT: DOMESTIC CEREMONIES IN THE NORTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA In modern day Yuc... more THE GODS THAT NEVER LEFT: DOMESTIC CEREMONIES IN THE NORTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA In modern day Yucatan it is still possible to observe a series of domestic rituals whose roots are found in the remote Prehispanic past. Some of these are narrated in a similar manner to the chroniclers from the first years after the Conquest in the Maya area as well as Central Mexico. This work presents an ethnoarchaeological study of some of these domestic rituals that are still occurring today, and they are compared with archaeological and ethnohistoric information to develop a debate on the role these processes, changes, and adaptations had in the history and cosmovision of ancient Mesoamerica.
THE GODS THAT NEVER LEFT: DOMESTIC CEREMONIES IN THE NORTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA In modern day Yuc... more THE GODS THAT NEVER LEFT: DOMESTIC CEREMONIES IN THE NORTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA In modern day Yucatan it is still possible to observe a series of domestic rituals whose roots are found in the remote Prehispanic past. Some of these are narrated in a similar manner to the chroniclers from the first years after the Conquest in the Maya area as well as Central Mexico. This work presents an ethnoarchaeological study of some of these domestic rituals that are still occurring today, and they are compared with archaeological and ethnohistoric information to develop a debate on the role these processes, changes, and adaptations had in the history and cosmovision of ancient Mesoamerica.
Homo Journal of Comparative Human Biology, 2013
El objetivo de esta ponencia es presentar una propuesta de uso del espacio doméstico en una unida... more El objetivo de esta ponencia es presentar una propuesta de uso del espacio doméstico en una unidad habitacional de Siho, Yucatán, y los actores sociales que llevaron a cabo las actividades en las áreas identificadas, con base en materiales líticos tales como pedernal, obsidiana y piedra caliza.
El objetivo de este artículo es plantear y discutir cómo la interacción entre el noroccidente de ... more El objetivo de este artículo es plantear y discutir cómo la interacción entre el noroccidente de la Península de Yucatán y las tierras bajas del centro se refleja en los aspectos formales y estilísticos de la arquitectura Oxkintok Temprano, Proto Puuc y Puuc Temprano, entre el Clásico Temprano y el Clásico Tardío. Se propone que el surgimiento y desarrollo de la arquitectura noroccidental en esta época son resultado tanto de procesos locales como de una posible relación con tradiciones del Petén y directamente o indirectamente con otras regiones de Mesoamérica.
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Papers by Lilia Fernandez Souza