Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Since prehistoric times, Andean societies have been organized around the ayllu, a grouping of real or ceremonial kinspeople who share labor, resources, and ritual obligations. Many Andean scholars believe that the ayllu is as ancient as Andean culture itself, possibly dating back as far as 6000 B.C., and that is arose to alleviate the hardships of farming in the mountainous Andean environment.
In this boldly revisionist book, however, William Isbell persuasively argues that the ayllu developed during the latter half of the Early Intermediate Period (around A.D. 200) as a means of resistance to the process of state formation.
Drawing on archaeological evidence, as well as records of Inca life taken from the chroniclers, Isbell asserts that prehistoric ayllus were organized around the veneration of deceased ancestors, whose mummified bodies were housed in open sepulchers, or chullpas, where they could be visited by descendants seeking approval and favors. By charting the temporal and spatial distribution of chullpa ruins, Isbell offers a convincing new explanation of where, when, and why the ayllu developed.
Sure to provoke lively debate in many quarters, this book will promote a serious revision of Andean prehistory. It holds broad ramifications for anthropologists, archaeologists, ethnohistorians, art and architectural historians, and geographers interested in the Andes.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Showing 1 featured edition. View all 1 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Mummies and mortuary monuments: a postprocessual prehistory of central Andean social organization
1997, University of Texas Press
in English
- 1st ed.
0292738706 9780292738706
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Table of Contents
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. [317]-357) and indexes.
Classifications
External Links
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?History
- Created April 1, 2008
- 9 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
July 12, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
February 26, 2022 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
November 23, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
July 31, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
April 1, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from Scriblio MARC record |