Ok, here is another esoteric subject that I"m curious about. Does anyone have understanding of the ancient practices regarding body modification in both central and south america? What was done and why? I have my own opinions and "limits" about the subject, and I invite others to express theirs, but what I'm curious about is any factual information regarding this with the ancients. Were there certain ceremonies or rites of passage that included these practices? If a source is available, could you include them with any comments? Has anyone personally attended modern day events and are they something that can be discussed here? I certainly respect any tribal ceremonies that should be kept as secret and am only requesting information which can be made public. It seems to me that body "art" and modification is a very personal thing with great significance much of the time. Also, I read about forms of female genital "mutilation" with some African cultures and am wondering if this was (or is) practiced in the Americas. Sure, there is much male circumcision practiced in modern day right here in the US, but can anyone offer better understanding of ancient practices?
posted by:
Alba ॐ
San Diego

  • Don't konw that much but cranial deformations were common all over mesoamerica and the Andes. They were done partly for aesthetics and above all to visibly, physically separate the elite from the pleibans, a kind of introjection of power onto the body. The Maya case is perhaps the most famous, with elongated, flattened skulls and crossed eyes; only rulers had them, and the practice had to start at birth, by tightening a board onto the forehead and leaving a hanging ball in between the eyes during the beggining of infancy, while the skull was still soft. thus the elites were marked as visibly, physically different from the commoners. The practice dates back to the early pre-classic, the first signs of skull alteration are visible in Tlatilco in the Basin of Mexico... In the Andes there were similair practices but I don't know that much about them...

    Labray piercings/expansions were also common to mesoamerican elites, particularly religious officials; during the late post-classic they were also used to mark the nobles that had made the pilgrimage to Cholula....

    In mexica society prostitutes had to stain their teeth red, but I'm not sure how they did it. They were also the only women who could wear their hair down...
    • hmmm... Didnt the ancient Egyptian elites have a similar practice of elongating the cranium?
      I just saw a documentary on the History Channel last night (03/20/07) regarding a ritual by King Pacal of Palenque. They said that one of his sacred rituals was blood letting from his genitals onto paper and then burn the bloodied paper to contact the dead and achieve enlightenment...

      • Self-sacrifice is common to all of Mesoamerica. I think it had more to do with symbolic affirmation of power (the kings blood assures the fertility of the earth...) and social control than with enlightenment or contact with the dead. The whole theocratic system is very complex and intricate... As far as the Mayas, it was common to all rulers, not just Pakal. I'd take most things from the History Channel with a grain of salt, most of the shows I've seen on Mesoamerica have pretty deep flaws...
        • Yes, I am definately taking the show's perspective with salt, but thanks for the reminder! So much of history is tainted and often with someones personal agenda, or just plain confusion or misunderstanding. That is why I appreciate comments from this tribe, including yours Mish for possible clarity. Thank you so much for commenting!
        • Mish, can you (or others) recommend a source for accurate information regarding Palenque? ...and Yes, on my list to visit. Thanks!

          • Linda Schiele and David Friedel are the definitive authors on the Maya, although they didn't specialize in Palenque, they were the first to decipher the glyphs and do computer analysis of the astronomical system. Both were major breakthroughs for the understanding of mayan history, astrology/astronomy and cosmovision. "Maya Cosmos" is an amaaaaazing book that details the workings of the mayan astronomical system, it's a must-read (really long, but worth it, or as a reference book) for anyone with a serious interest in classical maya culture. "Forest of Kings" is an excellent review of mayan history through the classical period and a really good overview of mayan archaeology, it's a good starting point to get a general idea of the whole picture. Both are fairly easy to find in a good library of university bookstore, and are much more lively to read than most archaeological literature.

            As far as Palenque specifically, I can't think of anything of the top of my head, but I'll look back into my Meso II notes and find something for ya. Good luck!
            • Not to be too obvious, since cranial modification came up, there are the Flathead Indians. I think, though, the "flattening" of the skull was unintentional, at first. Babies bound on boards had their brows bound too tightly. Later people just thought it looked good, at least among other Flatheads.

              I don't think, at least during the past 200 years, there has been genital mutilation in the North Americas. In the north, I've heard stories about a flying penis, but it's meant to be figurative.

              I have heard a lot of stories about that give the genitals, especially female, cosmological context.

              I have also heard stories about snubbing the nose, cutting off a small portion as a mark of criminal intent or punishment.

              That's pretty much all I've got.
              • Oh yeah, scarification as a result of ceremonial wounding. Although, the wounding gesture is the key element, the scars are secondary. I wouldn't be surprised to find that cosmetic scarification wasn't uncommon in the Americas. The Mohawks and their neighbors had a lot of tattoo action going on. I saw a old painting of an Osage Indian with blue ear tattoos with a pink carnations for earrings. I would guess that the character was some kind of Indian diplomat. The ear decoration was probably a symbolic exaltation of listening.

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