Beliefs, figurines, and where to bury mama

Absolutely found a favorite section: Part VI: Ritual, Belief, and Religion. Totally my jam!

So earlier I found that statement about witchcraft and alternative worship, and was sincerely hoping for more detail in this section. They didn't address it specifically and the closest hint it was even considered for inclusion was this quote:

"Scholars have more frequently examined objects such as ceramic figurines that are largely absent in monumental contexts and that reflect ancient mesoamerican rituals that 'flourished largely outside the control of the state'."

I couldn't let that lie, especially since my itch was not at ALL scratched. So I went looking up this paper/chapter.

Thankfully I found a free pdf of the work cited through Arizona State University and read through Domestic Ritual at Aztec Provincial Sites in Morelos, by Michael Smith, published in 2002.

While archaeology doesn't make assumptions (or shouldn't? Science ethics is its own field, it feels like.), I deeply appreciated the recognition Smith gave for the depth and diversity of worship. Considering all of the conquest and migration themes through the majority of this book, it would be ridiculously short sighted not to acknowledge a diversity in belief - especially in the world of the private home and practice.

Within one of the section's chapters, burials are mentioned as being inconsistent. No really reliable cemeteries, some domestic internment, other container-based/pot burials, etc… I don't see this as separate from Smith's figurine argument. Most belief systems and ritual behavior shows up in death rites. Ain't nobody gonna bury their mama outside of their inherited tradition. No sir. And there are half a dozen displayed traditions in the long and short record of the Aztec settlements.

One other nerdy thing bears mentioning. One of my newest permanent additions to my shelf is Digging the Day of the Dead. In it, the author mentions a connection between the invention of photography and the way oral tradition describes the use of ofrendas for memorials. Her research supported possible use of clay or formed figures of the deceased to be kept on the ofrenda.

Coincidence? Eeeeeeeeeh maybe? But I support a connection to these Aztec figurines.