Modern Cuicatec Use of Prehistoric Sacrificial Knives

Bibliographic Data

ID2562909
AuthorsWilliam R Holland (University of Arizona, corresponding author), Robert Weitlaner (National Institute of Anthropology and History), Robert J Weitlaner
Year1960
Volume25
Issue3
Pages392-396
Publication date1960-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/277522
OpenAlexW2326980046
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited5

Three Mixtec human sacrificial knives of the late Postclassic period were found in 1957 at the Cuicatec village of San Andres Papalo in northern Oaxaca, Mexico. They were being used to sacrifice chickens and turkeys as offerings in curing ceremonies at a ruined prehistoric site on top of the mountain which rises above the village. Offerings of food and drink are made to the spirit of thunder who lives on the mountain top and who has power to control longevity and cure the sick. The three knives and a conch trumpet were stored in a ceremonial cave near the village. One wooden handle is plain; the others are carved to represent a human hand and the head of a serpent. The handles lack the elaborate mosaic decoration which distinguishes the few prehistoric sacrificial knives in museum collections. These three knives constitute material evidence for the survival of a prehistoric ritual system which involved the making of blood sacrifice to rain gods on mountain tops. The shift from human to animal sacrificial victims is probably the major change in the prehistoric pattern

Ancient history · Archaeology · Biology · Cave · Conch · Geography · Prehistory · Sacrifice · Thunder · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Culinary Culture and Tourism · Ecology · History · Latin American history and culture

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub