[Aztlan] Perspectivism in Mesoamerica

[Jonas Souza]

Hello all,
 
As I am no Mesoamerica specialist, I would like to hear from you about the evidences for a “perspectivist” worldview in Mesoamerica (in the sense of Eduardo Viveiros de Castro). The brazilian anthropologist Viveiros de Castro is best known for his theory on “perspectivism” – a version of animism widespread in the Amazonian societies. According to this theory, Amazonian societies believe in a world that is inhabited by different subjects occupying different points of view, although they all see themselves as ‘human’. So, we, humans, see ourselves as humans and see the jaguars as jaguars; however, the jaguars see themselves as humans and see us as tapir or other prey that humans hunt; the blood that the jaguar drinks is seen by him as chicha; the vultures, who see themselves as humans, see the worms of putrefying meat that they eat as fish etc. The external appearance of these animals, as we see them, is but clothes that they wear, but which
 they take off when they are alone in their villages, revealing their true human forms. This has important implications, for example, in the study of shamanism: the shaman is one who can see through the clothes, and is then able to talk to the other consciences that inhabit the cosmos.
 
Since Viveiros de Castro believes this view is pan-amerindian, and not only southern American, I would like to know if there is any iconographic or ethnographic evidence for a similar worldview among Mesoamerican cultures...
 
(I think there is only one book published by Eduardo in English – it is called “From the enemy’s point of view”).
 
Thanks!
Jonas
_______________________________
 
Jonas Gregorio de Souza

Visite: http://www.geocities.com/babel1800/
Contate-me também em: jonas.souza at ufrgs.br


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