Human Sacrifice and Divine Nourishment in Mesoamerica

The Iconography of Cacao on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala

Bibliographic Data

ID6033907
AuthorsOswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos (0000-0002-4386-7742, Yale University, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume27
Issue2
Pages361-375
Publication date2016-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAncient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0956536116000201
OpenAlexW2557818657
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited26

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 victims. As interpreted in this article, the harvest of cacao was equated with the acquisition of sacrificial victims, and both were conceived as precious sources of nourishment for the gods. Changes in artistic representations are discernible from Early Classic Teotihuacan-style censers to Early Postclassic Plumbate ceramic effigies. Cacao and other fruits from the Pacific coastal piedmont are still related to the symbolism of war and sacrifice in contemporary rituals from the Tz'utujil town of Santiago Atitlán. Data from southern Guatemala may be relevant to understand the sacrificial symbolism of cacao throughout Mesoamerica

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Geography · Human sacrifice · Iconography · Mesoamerica · Sacrifice · Sculpture · Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy · History · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

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