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Fundamental Changes in the Interpretations of the Mixtec Codices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Nancy P. Troike
Nancy P. Troike*
Affiliation:
Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
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Abstract

Since mid-1974 very significant advances have been made in interpreting the Mixtec codices of Mexico. Many older hypotheses have been disproved, including the long-accepted chronological scheme proposed by Caso (1949), and these will cause profound changes in archaeological correlations for the Oaxacan area. The most important codex research is now focused upon correcting the chronology, distinguishing between actual history and mythical events, and clarifying the natures and roles of supernatural beings. The use of Central Mexican concepts hindered earlier research, but these patterns are erroneous for the Mixtecs and have now been discarded; accurate interpretations occur only with the use of Mixtec cultural and linguistic data. Mixtec codex studies are now firmly established as a separate and independent area of specialization within Mesoamerican scholarship.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , October 1978 , pp. 553 - 568
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1978

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References

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