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book: Insignia of Rank in the Nahua World
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Insignia of Rank in the Nahua World

From the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Century
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2014

About this book

This significant work reconstructs the repertory of insignia of rank and the contexts and symbolic meanings of their use, along with their original terminology, among the Nahuatl-speaking communities of Mesoamerica from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. Attributes of rank carried profound symbolic meaning, encoding subtle messages about political and social status, ethnic and gender identity, regional origin, individual and community history, and claims to privilege.

Olko engages with and builds upon extensive worldwide scholarship and skillfully illuminates this complex topic, creating a vital contribution to the fields of pre-Columbian and colonial Mexican studies. It is the first book to integrate pre- and post-contact perspectives, uniting concepts and epochs usually studied separately. A wealth of illustrations accompanies the contextual analysis and provides essential depth to this critical work. Insignia of Rank in the Nahua World substantially expands and elaborates on the themes of Olko's Turquoise Diadems and Staffs of Office, originally published in Poland and never released in North America.

Author / Editor information

Justyna Olko is a professor in the Faculty of "Artes Liberales" at the University of Warsaw. She leads Europe and America in Contact, an international team project funded by the European Research Council and focusing on the cross-cultural transfer manifest in Nahua language and culture. She is also involved in an international program centered on the revitalization of Nahuatl and other endangered languages.

Reviews

 "This is an important contribution to pre-Columbian and colonial Mexican studies. Staying remarkably focused throughout the book, the author thoroughly describes and insightfully interprets the insignia of rank of the Nahua (Aztec) peoples both before and after the Spanish conquest, placing these insignia in broad contexts. A crucial feature of the book is its use of an extraordinary variety of sources, revealing new patterns and variations (especially regional) in the use of status-related insignia and showing their persistence after the Spanish conquest. Beyond its interpretive value, this book is also a particularly useful reference work for related disciplines."
—Frances Berdan, California State University, San Bernardino, author of The Aztecs of Central Mexico: An Imperial Society and coeditor of The Codex Mendoza

 "The definitive work for decades to come on this important topic, and a model of innovative research crossing traditional disciplinary and methodological boundaries. It unites the pre- and postconquest periods, imperial core and regional settings, pictorial and textual sources, and language and visual image."
—Rebecca Horn, University of Utah, author of Postconquest Coyoacan

 "A unique, significant monument. The research is simply stupendous. An exceptional work."
—James Lockhart, University of California, Los Angeles, author of The Nahuas after the Conquest

Topics

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    Front Matter

    i
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    Contents

    vii
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    Figures

    xi
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    Preface

    xix
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    1 Introduction

    1
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    2 The Repertory of Elite Apparel and Insignia of Rank

    33
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    3 Images of Rank by Region

    187
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    4 Functions and Meanings of Precontact Costume and Status Items

    309
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    5 Postcontact Survivals and Adaptations

    335
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    6 Summation

    359
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    Appendix Dictionary of Insignia and Accouterments

    367
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    Abbreviations Used

    445
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    References

    447
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    Index

    473
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
October 30, 2024
eBook ISBN:
9781607322412
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
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https://doi.org/10.5876/9781607322412
eBook ISBN: 9781607322412
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
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