[Aztlan] More information on the ancient Baja burials

[David Hixson]

Dear Johanne,

I wondered this myself.

In Yucatan, disinterring the bones of the deceased and redepositing them in a secondary context (called "secondary burial" by anthropologists) is common even today.  Redfield and Villa Rojas commented upon this in their historic study of the Maya village of Chan Kom.  Similar contexts are regularly observed (but not ubiquitous) at ancient Maya archaeological sites, where disarticulated remains are found ceremoniously reburied.

A good time to discuss this would have been in the month of October, when the Maya ceremony of "Hanal Pixan" occurs.  During this ceremony, Yucatec Maya bring the disarticulated remains of the deceased back to their home for a final "dinner of the soul" before re-interment.  Redfield and Villa Rojas noted that the time between the deceased's initial burial and when they were dug up was a "liminal" period (although they did not use this term), when the soul was half way between this world and "gloria" (heaven).  It was a dangerous time, as overt expressions of sadness might lead the spirit to linger on earth.  Re-interment was a time of closure.

Very reminiscent of the works of Victor Turner.

-Dave



----- Original Message ----
From: Johanne Tournier <jltournier at ns.sympatico.ca>
To: michael ruggeri <michaelruggeri at mac.com>; aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Sent: Thu, January 21, 2010 7:55:48 AM
Subject: Re: [Aztlan] More information on the ancient Baja burials

 I wondered how INAH knows that the Baja natives
believed that they were relieving the dead of suffering? 

Johanne