[Aztlan] RELIGION IN THE PRE-HISPANIC SOUTHWEST BOOK REVIEW AND EVENT

[michael ruggeri]

Fascinating studies: Knowledge on pre-Columbian beliefs
By Howard Campbell / Special to the Times
Article Launched: 06/10/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

"Religion in the Prehispanic Southwest," edited by Christine and Todd  
Vanpool and David Phillips (Altamira Press, $90 hardcover, $36.95  
paperback). (Times file photo)
The American Southwest is one of the richest cultural regions in the  
world. Anthropologists have been enthralled with the region for more  
than 100 years.
Yet, until "Religion in the Prehispanic Southwest" (Altamira Press,  
$90 hardcover, $36.95 paperback), there was no complete book on the  
subject.
Fortunately, archaeologists Christine and Todd Vanpool and David  
Phillips have now provided amateur enthusiasts and scholars with a  
comprehensive, up-to-date study of Puebloan and non-Puebloan beliefs.  
Their 20 contributing authors -- including academic anthropologists,  
field archaeologists, linguists and museum specialists -- bring to  
bear a wide range of perspectives and methods on various religious  
traditions of the region.
This volume is the fifth in the archaeology of religion series  
published by Altamira Press. The series attempts to overcome the  
historical neglect of religion by archaeologists. Though central to  
all human life, religion and spiritual beliefs are often harder for  
archaeologists to study than other aspects of culture -- such as  
agriculture and housing practices -- that may leave behind more  
tangible physical remains.
Contemporary ethnographers have provided detailed studies of Hopi and  
Navajo rituals and cosmologies and researched Katsina (also called  
Kachina) religion, kivas and artifacts. This volume reinforces modern  
Southwest studies by examining the deep religious histories of key  
sites such as Chaco Canyon and Paquimé and shedding light on the  
cultural complexes of Anasazi, Salado, Casa Grandes and Mogollon.
Rock art, ball courts, burial practices, pottery, murals,  
hallucinogenic plants and shamanism are examples of the many  
fascinating chapter topics. The contributors emphasize "natural  
models" based on animal behavior and other features of the natural  
world for understanding religious symbols. "Liminal species," animals  
such as fish, snakes, turtles and birds that move from one  
environment or realm to another, were especially powerful metaphors  
for religious transformation. Likewise, potent substances, such as  
tobacco, datura and peyote, altered consciousness and transformed  
humans into trance states, in which they contacted spirits and  
supernatural forces. Quartz, crystals and other mineral substances  
were also employed as ritual objects and to heal the sick.
The authors use a wide variety of evidence to explore everyday  
religious devotions and the formation of religious movements over  
time. As the editors point out, religions are often conservative in  
character. Consequently, the study of ancient religions may help us  
understand belief and ceremony in the Southwest today.
El Paso area readers will be especially interested in the fascinating  
chapter, "Pre-Columbian Venus: Celestial Twin and Icon of Duality,"  
by Marc Thompson, director of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology  
(formerly the Wilderness Park Museum). Thompson analyzes myth,  
linguistic evidence and archaeological remains to interpret Venus  
images in both the Mesoamerican heartland and the Southwest, distinct  
but interrelated cultural regions.
Professional archaeologists and hobbyists will find much of interest  
in this fine volume.

Howard Campbell is an associate professor of sociology and  
anthropology at the UTEP. He has done extensive research in Mexico.
Meet the editors

A mini-symposium and book signing by the editors of "Religion in the  
Prehispanic Southwest" is scheduled for 2 p.m. June 16 at the El Paso  
Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Trans Mountain Road.

The museum will also host the Biennial Jornada Mogollon Conference in  
October.

Information: 755-4332.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/living/ci_6093518



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