Religion in Mesoamerica: Writing, Rhetoric, and Performance

HDS 3159 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

This course is an advanced seminar focusing on the study of sacred writings, political and cultural arts of communication, and ritual processes animating the lives, afterlives, and religious imaginations of various Mesoamerican peoples from the Postclassic and Colonial periods and beyond. Special attention will be given to reconstructing the theologies, moral philosophies and ritual strategies expressed in early colonial texts such as those compiled by Andrés de Olmos, Bernardino de Sahagún, Diego Durán, Domingo Francisco de San Antón Muñón Chimalpahin Quauhtlehuanitzin, and others. We also work with the  indigenous receptions and (re)interpretations of Christianity drawn from a wide range of evidence over time and its critical examination in light of various disciplinary perspectives from the history of religions, social anthropology, art history, archaeology, and performance theory. Prerequisite: HDS 3154/ANTHRO 2317 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 12. Jointly offered with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Anthro 2318.