Translation of Tzompantli

[John B. Carlson]

5 January 2005

Ruben,

Here's one important paper you should know:

Miller, Virginia E.
1999    The Skull Rack in Mesoamerica. In Mesoamerican Architecture
as a Cultural Symbol (Jeff Karl Kowalski, Editor):pp. 340-360. Oxford
University Press, New York.

I will be interested in replies concerning the etymology as well as
nuances of meaning associated with the Tzompantli. In Tlaxcala, there
are a number of people with the last named Tzompantzi. I would be
sure the original name was Tzompantzin. Wonder what these guys did
for a living...  One man in Tlaxcala was running for a local
municipal election. Would you vote for a Tzompantzin?

John Carlson




At 7:47 AM -0800 1/5/05, Archaeology Institute wrote:
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>         I've just completed an initial draft of a manuscript on the
>subject of the Mesoamerican tzompantli.  During the course of my
>research I found diverse translations and interpretations of the
>term "tzompantli."  For one, the term tends to be
>interpreted as "skull rack" in the most generic sense, whereas those
>who have had occasion to translate the term more literally identify
>its meaning with the translation of "skull banner" -- which appears
>to constitute a gloss of tzontecomatl (skull
>or gourd?) and pantli (banner).  Any assistance from the nahua
>language experts out there would be most appreciated, and
>acknowledged in print.  PS: By the way, the manuscript in question
>is titled "The Divine Gourd Tree: Tzompantli Skull Racks,
>Decapitation Rituals, and Human Trophies in Ancient Mesoamerica."
>
>Best Regards,
>
>Ruben G. Mendoza, Ph.D., Director
>Institute for Archaeological Science, Technology and Visualization
>Social and Behavioral Sciences
>California State University Monterey Bay
>100 Campus Center
>Seaside, California 93955-8001
>
>Email: archaeology_institute at csumb..edu
>Voice: 831-582-3760
>Fax: 831-582-3566
>http://archaeology.csumb.edu
>http://archaeology.csumb.edu/wireless/

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