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An Archaeology of the Senses: Perception and Cultural Expression in Ancient Mesoamerica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2001

Stephen Houston  and
Karl Taube
Stephen Houston
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT [email protected]
Karl Taube
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0418, [email protected]
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Abstract

The ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican peoples showed an intense interest in invoking the senses, especially hearing, sight, and smell. The senses were flagged by graphic devices of synaesthetic or cross-sensory intent; writing and speech scrolls triggered sound, sightlines the acts and consequences of seeing, and flowery ornament indicated both scent and soul essence. As conceived anciently, the senses were projective and procreative, involving the notion of unity and shared essence in material and incorporeal realms. Among the Maya, spaces could be injected with moral and hierarchical valuation through visual fields known as y-ichnal. The inner mind extended to encompass outer worlds, in strong parallel to concepts of monism. From such evidence arises the possibility of reconstructing the phenomenology of ancient Mesoamericans.

Keywords

Mesoamerican symbolismsenses, Mesoamerican portrayal ofart, Mesoamericanphenomenology, Mesoamerican
Type
Research Article
Information
Cambridge Archaeological Journal , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , April 2000 , pp. 261 - 294
Copyright
2000 The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

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