An Anthropological and Comparative Look at the Volcanic Geography of Mexico and Its Archaeology

IZTACCIHUATL, TOLUCA, TLALOC: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND COMPARATIVE LOOK AT THE VOLCANIC GEOGRAPHY OF MEXICO AND ITS ARCHAEOLOGY

Mar´ıaConstanza Ceruti∗1

1UCASAL - CONICET – Argentine

R´esum´e

The cult of mountains in volcanic geographies has been a fundamental part of the social history of Latin America. During the fifteenth century, the highest summits of South Amer- ican volcanoes were the scene of offerings and sacrifices performed during the consolidation of the Inca domination in the Andes. The volcanoes in the Valley of Mexico were also used for ritual purposes during the Postclassic Period. High altitude archeologists in the Mexican mountains (Sergio Iwaniszewski, Arturo Montero Garc´ıa,Victor Arribalzaga, Lourdes López and collaborators) have explored the heights of Popocatepetl (5,465 m), Iztaccihuatl (5,230 m) and Toluca (4690 m), where evidence of ancient rituals of bleeding and offerings have been discovered. According to historical sources, the Aztec priests also used to make sacrifices of children in a temple located on the summit of Mount Tlaloc (4.125 m), a volcano named after the deity of rain. The modern cult of Mexican volcanoes and its relationship with climate has been studied, among others by Julio Glockner, Beatriz Albores and Johanna Broda, who have addressed the role that these mountains fulfill in the Nahua religion, particularly in the ritual praxis of the ”graniceros” who are believed to conjure hail and storms. Having explored dozens of Southamerican volcanoes in the context of my research on An- dean high altitude archeology, I have personally ascended to the tops of the three Mexican volcanoes that are the subject of this work, collaborating in field trips with local colleagues. I have also made observations in ethnographic contexts which have allowed me to delve into the religious and onirical bond established by ritual experts, for the prevention of the catastrophic effects of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in the highlands of Mexico and Costa Rica. This presentation analyses Mesoamerican and Andean volcanic geography from a comparative perspective, to deepen an understanding of rites and beliefs that have evolved from antiquity to modern times.

Mots-Cl´es: HIGH ALTITUDE ARCHAEOLOGY, SACRED MOUNTAINS, VOLCANOES, MEX- ICO, ANDES

∗Intervenant

sciencesconf.org:uispp2018:182411