Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction to the Problem of Keeping to the Path
Pilgrimage in the Huasteca Region
The Nahua People
The Village of Amatlán
Problems of Translation
Becoming a Ritual Specialist
Conducting Research on Nahua Pilgrimage
Analyzing Nahua Myths and Oral Narratives
Myth of the Nahua Maize Spirit Chicomexochitl (Seven Flower)
Myth of the Time before the Current Era
Nahua Belief and Ritual Practice
The Sacred Landscape
Empirical Observations, Colors, and Numbers
Conceptions of Divinity
Considering Alternatives to Pantheism
Pantheism and Judeo-Christian Conceptions of Good and Evil
Challenges to Nahua Costumbre Religion and World View
A Reflection on Changes in the Village
Myth of the Nahua Water Owner Zahhuan (San Juan Bautista)
Preparations for the Undertaking
The Preliminary Cleansing and Ritual Chanting
The Altar Offering to the Seeds, Earth, and Water at Amatlán
Offerings to the Fire, Spring, and Outside Cross
Myth of the Nahua Fire Spirit Tlixihuantzin
Along the Pilgrims’ Path
The Altar Offering to the Seeds and Hills at Ichcacuatitla
The Altar Offering to the Earth and Clouds Beneath the Precipice
The Altar Offering and Cave Offerings to Water Dweller and Lightning and Thunder at the Middle of Postectli
The Altar Offering to Water Owner, Cross, Moon, and Sun at the Summit
Myth of the Nahua Water Dweller Apanchaneh (La Sirena)
Elements of the Approach
Sacred Music
Altars, Adornments, and the Paper Figures
Paper Figures and the Mezah in Nahua Ritual
Reading the Paper Figures
Cleansing the Way
Making the Journey
Paper Figures for the Mezah in Amatlán
Paper Figures for the Mezah at Ichcacuatitla
Paper Figures for the Mezah at Tepexitzintlan, Beneath the Precipice
Paper Figures for the Mezah at Tlahcopoztectli, the Middle of Postectli
Paper Figures for the Mezah at Tzonteconpoztectli, the Summit
Paper Figures That Remain on the Mountain or Return Home
Summary and High Points of the Postectli Pilgrimage
Ritual Objects as Subjects
Ritual Economy, Exchange, and Reciprocity
Anthropomorphism’s Appeal
Religion as a Social Act
Ritual as Costly Signaling
Altar Design and the Principle of Modularity
Order and Disorder
Allure of the Periphery
Scaling Up and Down
Summary of Nahua Ritual Strategies
Foundational Definitions and Case Examples
Pre-Hispanic Nahua Pilgrimage to Tlalocan
Pilgrimages in Mexico Today
Points of Comparison among the Selected Cases
9. Conclusions about Mesoamerican Pilgrimage
Appendix A. Pilgrimage to Palaxtepetl
Appendix B. Pilgrimage to Tres Pozitos
Appendix C. Pilgrimage to Xomulco
Appendix D. Huastecan Nahua Spirit Entities, A–Z
Comparative Paper Figures
The Elements Conjoined
Note on Translation and Orthography
Nahuatl Terms Used in the Pilgrimage Study
References
Index
About the Authors