Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos
Biographic Data
| ID | 253308 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos |
| GIVEN NAMES | Oswaldo Chinchilla |
| FAMILY NAME | Mazariegos |
| SIGNATURE | MAZARIEGOS O C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Yale University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4386-7742 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 69 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Mythical paradigms and paradoxes in ancient Maya kingship
Residue analysis suggests ritual use of tobacco at the ancient Mesoamerican city of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala
The widespread significance of tobacco in Mesoamerica is documented in historical and ethnographic sources, yet recovery of the organic remains of this plant from archaeological contexts is rare. Here, the authors present evidence for the ritual use of tobacco at Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala, during the Late Classic period (AD 650-950). Detection of nicotine in residue analysis of three cylindrical ceramic vases recovered from cache deposits near the…
Pedro de Alvarado, Tonatiuh: Reconsidering Apotheosis in Nahua and Highland Maya Narratives of the Spanish Invasion
Recent scholarship on the Spanish invasion of the New World has brought under scrutiny the historiographic theme of apotheosis-the notion that Indigenous peoples regarded the invaders as gods or godlike beings and that such beliefs influenced their responses. This article examines the question by focusing on Pedro de Alvarado, a leading member of Hernán Cortés's contingent, who was known as Tonatiuh-a Nahuatl word that designated the sun, the day…
Escuintla
The Southern Cities: Urban Archaeology in Pacific Guatemala and Eastern Soconusco, Mexico
Knowledge of magnetism in ancient Mesoamerica: Precision measurements of the potbelly sculptures from Monte Alto, Guatemala
Temples to the Great Bird: Architecture, mythology, and ritual in Teotihuacan-style censers from Escuintla, Guatemala
De Barones y Barrigones: El periplo de las esculturas de Concepción, Escuintla
Las esculturas monumentales conocidas como “barrigones” forman un género distintivo en el arte prehispánico del sur del área maya. En este artículo se explora la procedencia e historia de tres barrigones que se encuentran en museos de Alemania y Francia, y fueron extraídos de la finca Concepción, Escuintla, Guatemala, en el siglo XIX. Por medio del estudio de documentos inéditos, se demuestra que provienen del mismo sitio arqueológico y se corrig…
Technologies of urbanism in Mesoamerica: The pre-Columbian bridges of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala
Imágenes sexuales en el Popol Vuh
Los encuentros sexuales han sido objeto de poca atención en los estudios sobre el Popol Vuh. En este artículo se analizan las connotaciones sexuales, expresadas por medio de imágenes literarias, en cuatro pasajes del texto k’iche’. Dichas imágenes incluyen metáforas, alusiones y dobles sentidos cuyo significado no es evidente a primera vista. El análisis se basa en el estudio del léxico, aunado a comparaciones con pasajes paralelos en otros mitos…
Human Sacrifice and Divine Nourishment in Mesoamerica: The Iconography of Cacao on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala
This article explores the sacrificial symbolism of cacao (Theobromasp.) on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, manifest in the iconography of ceramic objects and stone sculptures from the Classic period, in textual references from the colonial period, and in contemporary ethnographic data from the southern highlands. The iconographic and textual metaphors contained in these sources linked cacao pods with dead warriors, captives, and sacrificial victi…
Myth, Ritual and Human Sacrifice in Early Classic Mesoamerica: Interpreting a Cremated Double Burial from Tikal, Guatemala
Human sacrifice in ancient Mesoamerica was strongly linked with ritual behaviour and mythical beliefs. Yet it is rarely possible to explain the mythical associations of archaeological deposits derived from human sacrifice. In this article, we integrate archaeological, taphonomic and isotopic analysis to reconstruct the ritual behaviour that resulted in the formation of a partially cremated primary burial at the Lowland Maya city of Tikal. Taphono…
The Technology of Maya Civilization: Political Economy Amd Beyond in Lithic Studies
The ancient Maya shaped their world with stone tools. Lithic artifacts helped create the cityscape and were central to warfare and hunting, craft activities, cooking, and ritual performance. 'The Technology of Maya Civilization' examines Maya lithic artefacts made of chert, obsidian, silicified limestone, and jade to explore the relationship between ancient civilizations and natural resources. The volume presents case studies of archaeological si…
Tecum, the Fallen Sun: Mesoamerican Cosmogony and the Spanish Conquest of Guatemala
A major debate in the history of the Spanish conquest of Guatemala revolves around Tecum (Tecún Umán), the K'iche' captain who died in confrontation with Pedro de Alvarado, according to sixteenth-century indigenous texts. Analysis of these texts shows that Tecum's death was recast in terms of widespread solar myths that provided an overarching framework to explain the rise and fall of Mesoamerican rulers and cities. His fate was explained as an i…
Archaeology in Guatemala: Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist
The historiography of archaeology in Guatemala is still in its infancy. Accounts of Maya archaeology are mostly concerned with the development of ideas in North America and Europe, where strong traditions of Maya research developed since the nineteenth century. Few authors delve into the sociopolitical events that have conditioned the work of foreign scholars in the country, their interaction with Guatemalan students, and the intellectual current…
Using Ground‐Penetrating Radar to Examine Spatial Organization at the L ate C lassic M aya Site of E l B aúl, C otzumalhuapa, G uatemala
The C otzumalhuapa N uclear Z one ( CNZ ) is a L ate C lassic site consisting of three large architectural compounds linked by a series of stone‐paved causeways and bridges. The majority of the site, however, lies beneath layers of recent tephra, leaving the structure of this settlement largely unknown. This study uses ground‐penetrating radar ( GPR ) to map the subsurface near E l B aúl, one of the main compounds, in order to examine the spatial…
La vagina dentada: Una interpretación de la Estela 25 de Izapa y las guacamayas del juego de pelota de Copán
Las aves representadas en la Estela 25 de Izapa y el juego de pelota de Copán forman el punto de partida para un examen del tema mitológico de la vagina dentada en Mesoamérica, y sus expresiones en el arte y la narrativa. Un amplio conjunto de narraciones mitológicas recopiladas en México y Guatemala sirve como base para un examen de la historia de Siete Guacamayo en el Popol Vuh, la cual se interpreta como una variante de un mito ampliamente dif…
Of Birds and Insects: The Hummingbird Myth in Ancient Mesoamerica
An important episode in Mesoamerican mythical narratives involves the abduction or impregnation of a tightly guarded maiden by a disguised god, against the will of her father or mother. This action precipitates major creational events that variously result in the origin of the sun, the moon, and human sustenance. Relying on a comparative analysis of versions recorded throughout Mesoamerica, this paper explores (a) representations of this episode …
The Stars of the Palenque Sarcophagus
Cosmos and Warfare on a Classic Maya Vase
The decipherment of ancient Maya writing
This anthology of classic articles documents the cognitive history of decipherment of ancient Maya writing. The editors present 48 milestone studies, introducing each with a biographical sketch of the author and brief but substantive commentary on the treatise's place in decipherment history. Together the essays comprise a fascinating historical reflection on the intellectual process of hieroglyphic decipherment that may prove to be its dominant …
Palo Verde. Un centro secundario en la zona de Cotzumalguapa, Guatemala
La zona de Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, en la costa pacífica de Guatemala, es célebre desde el siglo xix por sus esculturas, que datan del período clásico tardío y quizás se continuaron elaborando hasta inicios del Postclásico (600-1000 d.C.). La mayor concentración de esculturas se encuentra en la « Zona Nuclear de Cotzumalguapa », un centro urbano que en su apogeo cubría más de diez kilómetros cuadrados. Las investigaciones recientes han demostra…
Archaeology and nationalism in Guatemala at the time of independence
Exploratory expeditions in 1834, sponsored by the newly independent state of Guatemala, researched on sites such as Copan, Iximche and Utatlan. The political, literary and social climate was such that a pre-Hispanic past was eagerly sought. This paper offers an intriguing insight into early Latin American archaeology
The decipherment of ancient Maya writing
This anthology of classic articles documents the cognitive history of decipherment of ancient Maya writing. The editors present 48 milestone studies, introducing each with a biographical sketch of the author and brief but substantive commentary on the treatise's place in decipherment history. Together the essays comprise a fascinating historical reflection on the intellectual process of hieroglyphic decipherment that may prove to be its dominant …
Archaeology and nationalism in Guatemala at the time of independence
Exploratory expeditions in 1834, sponsored by the newly independent state of Guatemala, researched on sites such as Copan, Iximche and Utatlan. The political, literary and social climate was such that a pre-Hispanic past was eagerly sought. This paper offers an intriguing insight into early Latin American archaeology
Myth, Ritual and Human Sacrifice in Early Classic Mesoamerica: Interpreting a Cremated Double Burial from Tikal, Guatemala
Human sacrifice in ancient Mesoamerica was strongly linked with ritual behaviour and mythical beliefs. Yet it is rarely possible to explain the mythical associations of archaeological deposits derived from human sacrifice. In this article, we integrate archaeological, taphonomic and isotopic analysis to reconstruct the ritual behaviour that resulted in the formation of a partially cremated primary burial at the Lowland Maya city of Tikal. Taphono…
Tecum, the Fallen Sun: Mesoamerican Cosmogony and the Spanish Conquest of Guatemala
A major debate in the history of the Spanish conquest of Guatemala revolves around Tecum (Tecún Umán), the K'iche' captain who died in confrontation with Pedro de Alvarado, according to sixteenth-century indigenous texts. Analysis of these texts shows that Tecum's death was recast in terms of widespread solar myths that provided an overarching framework to explain the rise and fall of Mesoamerican rulers and cities. His fate was explained as an i…
Of Birds and Insects: The Hummingbird Myth in Ancient Mesoamerica
An important episode in Mesoamerican mythical narratives involves the abduction or impregnation of a tightly guarded maiden by a disguised god, against the will of her father or mother. This action precipitates major creational events that variously result in the origin of the sun, the moon, and human sustenance. Relying on a comparative analysis of versions recorded throughout Mesoamerica, this paper explores (a) representations of this episode …
Using Ground‐Penetrating Radar to Examine Spatial Organization at the L ate C lassic M aya Site of E l B aúl, C otzumalhuapa, G uatemala
The C otzumalhuapa N uclear Z one ( CNZ ) is a L ate C lassic site consisting of three large architectural compounds linked by a series of stone‐paved causeways and bridges. The majority of the site, however, lies beneath layers of recent tephra, leaving the structure of this settlement largely unknown. This study uses ground‐penetrating radar ( GPR ) to map the subsurface near E l B aúl, one of the main compounds, in order to examine the spatial…
Mythical paradigms and paradoxes in ancient Maya kingship
Pedro de Alvarado, Tonatiuh: Reconsidering Apotheosis in Nahua and Highland Maya Narratives of the Spanish Invasion
Recent scholarship on the Spanish invasion of the New World has brought under scrutiny the historiographic theme of apotheosis-the notion that Indigenous peoples regarded the invaders as gods or godlike beings and that such beliefs influenced their responses. This article examines the question by focusing on Pedro de Alvarado, a leading member of Hernán Cortés's contingent, who was known as Tonatiuh-a Nahuatl word that designated the sun, the day…
The Southern Cities: Urban Archaeology in Pacific Guatemala and Eastern Soconusco, Mexico
Human Sacrifice and Divine Nourishment in Mesoamerica: The Iconography of Cacao on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala
This article explores the sacrificial symbolism of cacao (Theobromasp.) on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, manifest in the iconography of ceramic objects and stone sculptures from the Classic period, in textual references from the colonial period, and in contemporary ethnographic data from the southern highlands. The iconographic and textual metaphors contained in these sources linked cacao pods with dead warriors, captives, and sacrificial victi…
Technologies of urbanism in Mesoamerica: The pre-Columbian bridges of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala
Imágenes sexuales en el Popol Vuh
Los encuentros sexuales han sido objeto de poca atención en los estudios sobre el Popol Vuh. En este artículo se analizan las connotaciones sexuales, expresadas por medio de imágenes literarias, en cuatro pasajes del texto k’iche’. Dichas imágenes incluyen metáforas, alusiones y dobles sentidos cuyo significado no es evidente a primera vista. El análisis se basa en el estudio del léxico, aunado a comparaciones con pasajes paralelos en otros mitos…
La vagina dentada: Una interpretación de la Estela 25 de Izapa y las guacamayas del juego de pelota de Copán
Las aves representadas en la Estela 25 de Izapa y el juego de pelota de Copán forman el punto de partida para un examen del tema mitológico de la vagina dentada en Mesoamérica, y sus expresiones en el arte y la narrativa. Un amplio conjunto de narraciones mitológicas recopiladas en México y Guatemala sirve como base para un examen de la historia de Siete Guacamayo en el Popol Vuh, la cual se interpreta como una variante de un mito ampliamente dif…
Archaeology and nationalism in Guatemala at the time of independence
Exploratory expeditions in 1834, sponsored by the newly independent state of Guatemala, researched on sites such as Copan, Iximche and Utatlan. The political, literary and social climate was such that a pre-Hispanic past was eagerly sought. This paper offers an intriguing insight into early Latin American archaeology
The decipherment of ancient Maya writing
This anthology of classic articles documents the cognitive history of decipherment of ancient Maya writing. The editors present 48 milestone studies, introducing each with a biographical sketch of the author and brief but substantive commentary on the treatise's place in decipherment history. Together the essays comprise a fascinating historical reflection on the intellectual process of hieroglyphic decipherment that may prove to be its dominant …
Palo Verde. Un centro secundario en la zona de Cotzumalguapa, Guatemala
La zona de Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, en la costa pacífica de Guatemala, es célebre desde el siglo xix por sus esculturas, que datan del período clásico tardío y quizás se continuaron elaborando hasta inicios del Postclásico (600-1000 d.C.). La mayor concentración de esculturas se encuentra en la « Zona Nuclear de Cotzumalguapa », un centro urbano que en su apogeo cubría más de diez kilómetros cuadrados. Las investigaciones recientes han demostra…
Cosmos and Warfare on a Classic Maya Vase
The Stars of the Palenque Sarcophagus
Of Birds and Insects: The Hummingbird Myth in Ancient Mesoamerica
An important episode in Mesoamerican mythical narratives involves the abduction or impregnation of a tightly guarded maiden by a disguised god, against the will of her father or mother. This action precipitates major creational events that variously result in the origin of the sun, the moon, and human sustenance. Relying on a comparative analysis of versions recorded throughout Mesoamerica, this paper explores (a) representations of this episode …
La vagina dentada: Una interpretación de la Estela 25 de Izapa y las guacamayas del juego de pelota de Copán
Las aves representadas en la Estela 25 de Izapa y el juego de pelota de Copán forman el punto de partida para un examen del tema mitológico de la vagina dentada en Mesoamérica, y sus expresiones en el arte y la narrativa. Un amplio conjunto de narraciones mitológicas recopiladas en México y Guatemala sirve como base para un examen de la historia de Siete Guacamayo en el Popol Vuh, la cual se interpreta como una variante de un mito ampliamente dif…
Archaeology in Guatemala: Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist
The historiography of archaeology in Guatemala is still in its infancy. Accounts of Maya archaeology are mostly concerned with the development of ideas in North America and Europe, where strong traditions of Maya research developed since the nineteenth century. Few authors delve into the sociopolitical events that have conditioned the work of foreign scholars in the country, their interaction with Guatemalan students, and the intellectual current…
Using Ground‐Penetrating Radar to Examine Spatial Organization at the L ate C lassic M aya Site of E l B aúl, C otzumalhuapa, G uatemala
The C otzumalhuapa N uclear Z one ( CNZ ) is a L ate C lassic site consisting of three large architectural compounds linked by a series of stone‐paved causeways and bridges. The majority of the site, however, lies beneath layers of recent tephra, leaving the structure of this settlement largely unknown. This study uses ground‐penetrating radar ( GPR ) to map the subsurface near E l B aúl, one of the main compounds, in order to examine the spatial…
Tecum, the Fallen Sun: Mesoamerican Cosmogony and the Spanish Conquest of Guatemala
A major debate in the history of the Spanish conquest of Guatemala revolves around Tecum (Tecún Umán), the K'iche' captain who died in confrontation with Pedro de Alvarado, according to sixteenth-century indigenous texts. Analysis of these texts shows that Tecum's death was recast in terms of widespread solar myths that provided an overarching framework to explain the rise and fall of Mesoamerican rulers and cities. His fate was explained as an i…
The Technology of Maya Civilization: Political Economy Amd Beyond in Lithic Studies
The ancient Maya shaped their world with stone tools. Lithic artifacts helped create the cityscape and were central to warfare and hunting, craft activities, cooking, and ritual performance. 'The Technology of Maya Civilization' examines Maya lithic artefacts made of chert, obsidian, silicified limestone, and jade to explore the relationship between ancient civilizations and natural resources. The volume presents case studies of archaeological si…
Myth, Ritual and Human Sacrifice in Early Classic Mesoamerica: Interpreting a Cremated Double Burial from Tikal, Guatemala
Human sacrifice in ancient Mesoamerica was strongly linked with ritual behaviour and mythical beliefs. Yet it is rarely possible to explain the mythical associations of archaeological deposits derived from human sacrifice. In this article, we integrate archaeological, taphonomic and isotopic analysis to reconstruct the ritual behaviour that resulted in the formation of a partially cremated primary burial at the Lowland Maya city of Tikal. Taphono…
Human Sacrifice and Divine Nourishment in Mesoamerica: The Iconography of Cacao on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala
This article explores the sacrificial symbolism of cacao (Theobromasp.) on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, manifest in the iconography of ceramic objects and stone sculptures from the Classic period, in textual references from the colonial period, and in contemporary ethnographic data from the southern highlands. The iconographic and textual metaphors contained in these sources linked cacao pods with dead warriors, captives, and sacrificial victi…
De Barones y Barrigones: El periplo de las esculturas de Concepción, Escuintla
Las esculturas monumentales conocidas como “barrigones” forman un género distintivo en el arte prehispánico del sur del área maya. En este artículo se explora la procedencia e historia de tres barrigones que se encuentran en museos de Alemania y Francia, y fueron extraídos de la finca Concepción, Escuintla, Guatemala, en el siglo XIX. Por medio del estudio de documentos inéditos, se demuestra que provienen del mismo sitio arqueológico y se corrig…
Technologies of urbanism in Mesoamerica: The pre-Columbian bridges of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala
Imágenes sexuales en el Popol Vuh
Los encuentros sexuales han sido objeto de poca atención en los estudios sobre el Popol Vuh. En este artículo se analizan las connotaciones sexuales, expresadas por medio de imágenes literarias, en cuatro pasajes del texto k’iche’. Dichas imágenes incluyen metáforas, alusiones y dobles sentidos cuyo significado no es evidente a primera vista. El análisis se basa en el estudio del léxico, aunado a comparaciones con pasajes paralelos en otros mitos…
Knowledge of magnetism in ancient Mesoamerica: Precision measurements of the potbelly sculptures from Monte Alto, Guatemala
Temples to the Great Bird: Architecture, mythology, and ritual in Teotihuacan-style censers from Escuintla, Guatemala
Escuintla
The Southern Cities: Urban Archaeology in Pacific Guatemala and Eastern Soconusco, Mexico
Pedro de Alvarado, Tonatiuh: Reconsidering Apotheosis in Nahua and Highland Maya Narratives of the Spanish Invasion
Recent scholarship on the Spanish invasion of the New World has brought under scrutiny the historiographic theme of apotheosis-the notion that Indigenous peoples regarded the invaders as gods or godlike beings and that such beliefs influenced their responses. This article examines the question by focusing on Pedro de Alvarado, a leading member of Hernán Cortés's contingent, who was known as Tonatiuh-a Nahuatl word that designated the sun, the day…
Residue analysis suggests ritual use of tobacco at the ancient Mesoamerican city of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala
The widespread significance of tobacco in Mesoamerica is documented in historical and ethnographic sources, yet recovery of the organic remains of this plant from archaeological contexts is rare. Here, the authors present evidence for the ritual use of tobacco at Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala, during the Late Classic period (AD 650-950). Detection of nicotine in residue analysis of three cylindrical ceramic vases recovered from cache deposits near the…
Mythical paradigms and paradoxes in ancient Maya kingship
Archaeology (18 works) · History (17 works) · Latin American history and culture (15 works) · Art (13 works) · Geography (9 works) · Maya (9 works) · Mesoamerica (8 works) · Ancient history (7 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works)