Ancestors and Elites

Emergent Complexity and Ritual Practices in the Casas Grandes Polity

By (author) Gordon F. M. Rakita

Not available to order

Publication date:

16 May 2009

Length of book:

220 pages

Publisher

AltaMira Press

ISBN-13: 9780759113299

Ancestors and Elites examines prehispanic ritual behaviors characteristic of the Casas Grandes region of Chihuahua, Mexico. Gordon Rakita analyzes the archaeological data from the site with respect to broader anthropological theories regarding both religious practices and the rise of complex societies. This confluence of empirical fact and general theory allows Rakita to explore in detail the complex, reciprocal relationship between ritual practices and developing social complexity at PaquimZ, one of the best-documented archaeological sites in the region.
One of the most important, and interesting, topics in anthropology is how religion and its associated ritual practices facilitate but also constrain emerging social hierarchies and newly empowered leaders. Rakita expertly studies these topics, thereby expanding our understanding of the relationship between religion and social hierarchies in general, while also contributing to our understanding of Southwestern prehistory....