[Aztlan] Pre-Columbian Society of the Univ. of Penn. Museum January Lecture

[michael ruggeri]

Pre-Columbian Society of the University of Pennsylvania Museum
  Lecture:  Saturday, January 10, 2009 , 1:30 PM,  Room 345
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Philadelphia, Penn.

Joanne Baron, PhD student in Anthropology at the University of  
Pennsylvania

"Noble or Savage? Western Representations of Human Sacrifice among the  
Aztecs"

     In the 16th Century, the Western world came in contact with the  
Mesoamerican world. Ever since this initial confrontation, Westerners  
have been writing about and representing the indigenous peoples they  
encountered. These representations are not all the same, however. They  
have shifted with time, country, and context. This talk will examine  
these varying representations, focusing on their treatment of Aztec  
human sacrifice. Although this topic is vast and her research is just  
beginning, Ms. Baron  will share the examples collected so far and  
discuss her current conclusions, hopefully opening up avenues for  
discussion.
             Joanne Baron is a 3rd year PhD student in Anthropology at  
the University of Pennsylvania. Her main area of interest is Classic  
Maya political organization, but this talk explores some of her other  
recent interests, such as Aztec ethnohistory and popular  
representations of the past. She has worked in Belize, Guatemala, and  
Honduras, and her dissertation project will focus on La Corona, a site  
in Western Peten, where she worked under the direction of Drs.  
Marcello Canuto and Tomas Barrientos for the month of  May, 2008. This  
past summer, Joanne worked in the Copan Valley Regional Development  
Project, where she was directed by Dr. Ricardo Agurcia Fasquelle.