The Two Maya Bodies: An Elementary Model of Tzeltal Personhood

The folds of the world: An essay on Mesoamerican textile topology

“…One of the best models of the play of the fold between these two states of existence is the process of individual birth (Pitarch 2010). The other side-this is a crucial fact-is not just "outside," but also within human beings in the form we conventionally call "souls."…”

“…Tzeltal souls, as occurs generally in Mesoamerica, constitute a numerous, heterogeneous assembly of beings: one of them has a form that is identical to the human body hosting it, but others (nahuals) are capable of adopting the bodily form of animals of any species. Or else they are atmospheric phenomena such as lightning bolts, winds, or rainbows, and even figures with a European appearance such as Catholic priests, officials of the Spanish king, or school teachers (Pitarch 2010). What is sought in the placenta is precisely what clues these souls may have left imprinted during the intrauterine period: a feline paw print, a zigzag lightning bolt, a bishop's shoes, and so on.…”

Unseating the Shaman: Narrative Performance and Co- Essences in the Hollow Figures of Western Mexico

“…Taking an interest in the human body also means taking an interest in the perception of the person and in the conceptualization of human life (Gillespie 2001(Gillespie , 2002 González and Barona 2015;Martínez González and Mendoza 2011;Pitrou 2011Pitrou , 2012. Social anthropologists, in particular, have been very interested in this subject and have developed approaches that prove to be very stimulating for archaeologists-these include among others, Chamoux (1981Chamoux ( , 2011 and Sandstrom (1998) for the eastern Nahuas, Dehouve (2014) and Raby (2013) for Guerrero, Pitarch (2012) for the Tzeltal, Pitrou (2012) among the Mixe, Galinier (1990) for the Otomi, and Neurath (2011) for the Huichol. From an emic point of view, the person must be perceived as connected to a social sphere-the body forming an unstable assemblage of more or less independent living elements permanently connected to various spheres of nature, the cosmos, and society.…”

Costumes and Puppets among Cholula’s Early Classic Figurines and the Formation of Social Worlds

“…Taking an interest in the human body also means taking an interest in the perception of the person and in the conceptualization of human life (Gillespie 2001(Gillespie , 2002; González and Mendoza 2011;Pitrou 2011Pitrou , 2012. Social anthropologists, in particular, have been very interested in this subject and have developed approaches that prove to be very stimulating for archaeologists-these include among others, Chamoux (1981Chamoux ( , 2011 and Sandstrom (1998) for the eastern Nahuas, Dehouve (2014) and Raby (2013) for Guerrero, Pitarch (2012) for the Tzeltal, Pitrou (2012) among the Mixe, Galinier (1990) for the Otomi, and Neurath (2011) for the Huichol. From an emic point of view, the person must be perceived as connected to a social sphere-the body forming an unstable assemblage of more or less independent living elements permanently connected to various spheres of nature, the cosmos, and society.…”