West Mexican Stelae from Jalisco and Nayarit.

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Joseph B. Mountjoy, Professor, Emeritus (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: The process of Mesoamerican cultural expansion into western and northwestern Mexico has been a subject of speculation and investigation for over three centuries. Although many cultural traits have been "implicated" in this process, the practice of erecting stelae has not been one of them. Fieldwork by the author in Jalisco and Nayarit over the past 14 years has resulted in the discovery of 48 stone monuments which are proposed to be rustic versions of the usually more sophisticated stelae associated with cultures of central Mesoamerica. These west Mexican stelae are described and discussed in terms of their context, date, and possible function. Similar stone monuments from other sites in western and northwestern Mexico are also described, and relevant ethnohistoric data are presented. Finally, the diffusion of the practice of erecting stelae is discussed in relation to the process of mesoamerieanization in western and northwestern Mexico.

Additional Information

Publication
Ancient Mesoamerica, Vol. 2, pp. 21-33.
Language: English
Date: 1991
Keywords
Mesoamerican cultural expansion, Mexico, Mesoamerieanization

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