How Hummingbird and Vulture Mediate Between Life and Death In Latin America

Abstract

Certain birds enable people to comprehend the inexplicable because they embody contrasts and resolve oppositions, and some birds have particular attributes that make them especially adept at expressing these symbolic meanings. This analysis focuses on two bird families that are central to the social organization of many societies in the Americas for their relationship to both life and death, and considers how these birds are able to mediate cultural oppositions expressed through the myths, rituals, art, and architecture portrayed in both ancient and contemporary cultures. Having features associated with both life and death, hummingbirds and vultures embody a duality that enables them to fly symbolically higher into the heavens and lower into the underworld than many other birds. Ethnographic examples from Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru are used to illustrate the ways these particular birds are seen as transforming life and death by leading to a more profound understanding of reality as an ongoing cycle of rebirth and renewal.

A Quantitative Method for Evaluating Contemporary Cultural Uses of Birds: A Case Study from Mexico

“…Research Communications Medina-Tzuc 2005). Birds also feature in myths, rituals, art, and architecture relating to cycles of rebirth and renewal (Anderson 2017;Hull and Fergus 2017;Sault 2016).…”

“…In Latin America, birds are considered highly symbolic-especially hummingbirds and vultures, which are thought to predict life and death events (Sault 2016)-with magical powers believed to be conferred to anyone eating or possessing particular species or products (Anderson and Medina-Tzuc 2005). For centuries, indigenous Americans have made ceremonial regalia from feathers not only for their decorative qualities but also for their supposed connection to the spirit world.…”

Bird Stories from Latin America: Lessons on Change and Adaptation

“…The ancient Zapotec civilization honored birds in many forms, such as in the Post-Classic stone register celebrating the marriage of Lady Qualaala Xopa, which depicts birds carrying jewels in their beaks to represent the sacred knowledge of the ancestor guardians who have "elite knowledge that was vital to the society's well-being" (Flores-Marcia 2015:95). The significance of birds continues in songs, omens, poetry, and stories (Sault 2016). The Zapotec poet Antonio López Pérez refers to his language as a bird "that runs/ in the mountains/ walks upon the feet/ of children, old people" (Sullivan 2012:45).…”

Condors, Water, and Mining: Heeding Voices from Andean Communities

“…Condors are woven into the fabric of these societies in relation to mountains and deities, animals, plants, and people-connecting with the ancestors and transforming death into spirit as they carry the souls of the dead on their wings to the celestial realm (Sault 2016a(Sault , 2016b. These majestic birds mediate between heaven and earth, between mountains and seashore, and between people and mountain deities.…”