archives@tulane.edu / Among the Nahua people of Late Postclassic central Mexico, specialists who worked with precious stones, feathers, and metals represented a highly prominent class of artists who were at the center of Nahua theories of artistic practice. The highly valuable materials that they worked were referred to collectively as tlazohtli, or precious things, and embodied immense economic, aesthetic, efficacious, and ideological value. Ownership of these materials was closely regulated, and works in these media played a principal role in communicating and at times constructing the identities of the nobles, rulers, and gods (teteoh) who wore them. Artists of this class further employed widely varied forms of knowledge—ranging from the technical to the philosophical—, all of which informed their modes of judging, structuring, and transforming precious materials. By analyzing Nahuatl-language texts in the original, pictorial representations, and surviving artworks in these media, this dissertation reconstructs a set of key issues for artistic work with precious materials as understood by Nahua people: value (tlazohtiliztli), appearance (ixnexcayotl), animacy (tonalli), and surface (ixtli). Employing interdisciplinary methodologies drawn from linguistics, literary studies, anthropology, and art history, this study reconstructs how Nahua people of the Late Postclassic conceptually framed these issues and how artists employed them as visual strategies in the creation of elaborate extant works in turquoise, feather mosaic, and cast gold. Engaging with Nahua thought on these issues brings to light local constructions of major visual and artistic concepts, including color, surface, and representation, that together constitute a Nahua theory of art. / 0 / Allison Caplan

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universiteit Leiden, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-294).

O objetivo central desta pesquisa é analisar um amplo conjunto de histórias nahuas pictoglíficas e alfabéticas do início do período colonial para entender os usos identitários e as funções políticas que as representações de Chicomoztoc, o Lugar das Sete Cavernas, desempenhavam entre as elites nahuas nessa época. A hipótese inicial é que as representações desse importante elemento identitário das entidades políticas nahuas de tempos pré-hispânicos (os altepeme) passou por transformações em seus usos e funções, mas continuou a ocupar um papel central para as concepções nahuas de história e poder político que vigoraram entre as elites nahuas da Nova Espanha, que reescreveram as histórias de seus antepassados, à luz do novo contexto, utilizando-as, inclusive, na busca de legitimidade da posse de terras e privilégios diante de instituições do governo novo-hispano. Com isso, consideramos que o entendimento dos distintos usos historiográficos de Chicomoztoc nas histórias nahuas coloniais nos auxiliará a entender como as elites nahuas atuaram no período colonial inicial, um momento marcado pela perda de seus privilégios diante do crescente poderio dos espanhóis. / The main goal of the present research is to analyse a vast group of Nahua histories both alphabetic and pictographic from the beginning of the colonial period in order to understand its identifying uses and the political roles which the representations of Chicomoztoc, the Place of the Seven Caves, assumed amongst the Nahua elite of said time. The start hypothesis is that the representations of such important element of identity of Nahua political entities of the Pre-Hispanic period (the altepeme) have undergone transformations in use and purpose but kept a central role in the conceptions of History and political power for the Nahua elite of New Spain, who re-wrote the History of their ancestors according the new order, even using them to legitimate landowning and privileges before new-Hispanic institutions. Based on that we believe that the understanding of the different historiographical uses of Chicomoztoc in colonial Nahua History will help us comprehend how the Nahua elites acted during the first colonial period, a moment discernible by the loss of privileges in front of the increasing Spanish power.

O objetivo central desta pesquisa é analisar um amplo conjunto de histórias nahuas pictoglíficas e alfabéticas do início do período colonial para entender os usos identitários e as funções políticas que as representações de Chicomoztoc, o Lugar das Sete Cavernas, desempenhavam entre as elites nahuas nessa época. A hipótese inicial é que as representações desse importante elemento identitário das entidades políticas nahuas de tempos pré-hispânicos (os altepeme) passou por transformações em seus usos e funções, mas continuou a ocupar um papel central para as concepções nahuas de história e poder político que vigoraram entre as elites nahuas da Nova Espanha, que reescreveram as histórias de seus antepassados, à luz do novo contexto, utilizando-as, inclusive, na busca de legitimidade da posse de terras e privilégios diante de instituições do governo novo-hispano. Com isso, consideramos que o entendimento dos distintos usos historiográficos de Chicomoztoc nas histórias nahuas coloniais nos auxiliará a entender como as elites nahuas atuaram no período colonial inicial, um momento marcado pela perda de seus privilégios diante do crescente poderio dos espanhóis. / The main goal of the present research is to analyse a vast group of Nahua histories both alphabetic and pictographic from the beginning of the colonial period in order to understand its identifying uses and the political roles which the representations of Chicomoztoc, the Place of the Seven Caves, assumed amongst the Nahua elite of said time. The start hypothesis is that the representations of such important element of identity of Nahua political entities of the Pre-Hispanic period (the altepeme) have undergone transformations in use and purpose but kept a central role in the conceptions of History and political power for the Nahua elite of New Spain, who re-wrote the History of their ancestors according the new order, even using them to legitimate landowning and privileges before new-Hispanic institutions. Based on that we believe that the understanding of the different historiographical uses of Chicomoztoc in colonial Nahua History will help us comprehend how the Nahua elites acted during the first colonial period, a moment discernible by the loss of privileges in front of the increasing Spanish power.

This work deals with the issues of cultural identity of ethnic groups in the modern Mexican society, explores its characteristics and essence and searches for possibilities of its maintenance. The central question is, which way indigenous groups can develop their culture freely in the modern Mexican society, and so keep their own peculiarity and identity. The main instrument is a case study of Nahua communities occupying the territory of the Northeastern mountain range of the Mexican state of Puebla, which is in the sphere of influence of the organization called Unión de Cooperativas Tosepan Titataniske, seeking to improve the standard of living and strengthen the cultural identity of the villagers in the region. An ethno-historical study of the Nahua communities living in the particular region, completed with an analysis of the contemporary inhabitants' cultural identity based on a field research, shows that indigenous cultures can keep their identity in spite of significant external interference into their traditional way of life in the course of centuries and that the continuity of their identity is not dependent on maintaining concrete, time conditioned cultural manifestations. On the contrary, important factors for keeping cultural identity are the functional continuity of a given group and...

Les plantes médicinales jouent un rôle central, tant pour la médicine traditionnelle de certaines cultures, que pour la satisfaction d’une demande commerciale, souvent lointaine. Face à la forte pression qui pèse actuellement sur les populations de plantes médicinales - due à l'augmentation de la surexploitation commerciale et à la perte d'habitats - il est crucial de trouver des options qui permettront une gestion durable de cette ressource tout en contribuant à maintenir le bien-être socioéconomique des communautés locales qui en dépendent. Ainsi il est important de comprendre les perceptions que les populations ont des plantes médicinales, de la façon de les exploiter et de les gérer. L’objectif, donc, de ce projet est de mieux comprendre les interactions existantes entre savoir traditionnel et gestion des plantes médicinales. La présente étude de cas constitue une étude géographique et ethnobotanique inductive/exploratoire. Nous dressons dans cette recherche le portrait des dynamiques utilisées par les communautés Nahuas de la Huasteca Potosina pour la gestion des plantes médicinales. L’information qui est présentée a été obtenue par une combinaison de données descriptives, historiques, qualitatives, quelques unes quantitatives, qui sont le produit d’une revue bibliographique et d’un travail de terrain. Notre recherche démontre un éventail de pratiques de gestion, d’intérêts, de valeurs ainsi que de représentations sociales des plantes médicinales au sein d’une même ethnie. Cette étude met en évidence l’importance des pratiques locales de gestion pour élaborer des recommandations dans le domaine de la gestion durable des plantes médicinales. / Plant species can have different uses. However, medicinal purposes play a central role in different cultures whether they are used for traditional medicine or for commercialization. At present, medicinal plant species are under strong pressure. This is due to their commercial uses and is related to the loss of their habitat. It is imperative to find options that will allow the utilisation of medicinal plant species in a sustainable way. Thus, it would allow a contribution to the socioeconomic well-being of those communities that depend upon the plants. Similarly, it is also important to understand the perception that communities have of their plants and their uses. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to better understand the relationships between traditional knowledge and the utilisation of medicinal plant species among these local communities. The research constitutes an exploratory-inductive study with strong geographical and ethno-botanical bases. In this research, we describe the patterns followed by indigenous Nahuas communities of la Huasteca Potosina in the management of medicinal plant species. Descriptive, historical, qualitative and quantitative data used for this study were gathered through bibliographic research and fieldwork. The result of the study describes a series of practices, values and social representations. It relates to the use of medicinal plant species within a specific ethnic group. The importance of this research is to highlight local practices and, thus, come up with additional recommendations to the sustainable utilisation of medicinal plant species. / Las plantas medicinales desempeñan un papel central, tanto para la medicina tradicional de algunas culturas como para satisfacer una demanda de mercado tanto local como externa. Dada la fuerte presión actual sobre las poblaciones de plantas medicinales - debido a la creciente explotación comercial y la pérdida de hábitat - es crucial encontrar opciones que permitan un manejo sostenible de este recurso, así como contribuir al mantenimiento del bienestar socioeconómico de las comunidades locales que dependen de éste. Por lo tanto, es importante entender las percepciones, la forma de explotación y manejo de las plantas medicinales por parte de las poblaciones. El objetivo de este proyecto es comprender mejor las interacciones entre los conocimientos tradicionales y la gestión de las plantas medicinales. Este estudio de caso es un estudio geográfico y etnobotánico inductivo / exploratorio. Donde es expuesto un retrato de las dinámicas de gestión de las plantas medicinales utilizadas por las comunidades nahuas de la Huasteca Potosina. La información presentada es el producto de un análisis de datos descriptivos, históricos, cualitativos y cuantitativos; obtenidos de una revisión bibliográfica y un trabajo de campo. Nuestra investigación muestra una serie de prácticas de manejo, intereses, valores y representaciones sociales de las plantas medicinales dentro de una misma etnicidad. Este estudio pone en relieve la importancia de las prácticas de gestión local para elaborar recomendaciones en el ámbito del manejo sostenible de las plantas medicinales.

Les plantes médicinales jouent un rôle central, tant pour la médicine traditionnelle de certaines cultures, que pour la satisfaction d’une demande commerciale, souvent lointaine. Face à la forte pression qui pèse actuellement sur les populations de plantes médicinales - due à l'augmentation de la surexploitation commerciale et à la perte d'habitats - il est crucial de trouver des options qui permettront une gestion durable de cette ressource tout en contribuant à maintenir le bien-être socioéconomique des communautés locales qui en dépendent. Ainsi il est important de comprendre les perceptions que les populations ont des plantes médicinales, de la façon de les exploiter et de les gérer. L’objectif, donc, de ce projet est de mieux comprendre les interactions existantes entre savoir traditionnel et gestion des plantes médicinales. La présente étude de cas constitue une étude géographique et ethnobotanique inductive/exploratoire. Nous dressons dans cette recherche le portrait des dynamiques utilisées par les communautés Nahuas de la Huasteca Potosina pour la gestion des plantes médicinales. L’information qui est présentée a été obtenue par une combinaison de données descriptives, historiques, qualitatives, quelques unes quantitatives, qui sont le produit d’une revue bibliographique et d’un travail de terrain. Notre recherche démontre un éventail de pratiques de gestion, d’intérêts, de valeurs ainsi que de représentations sociales des plantes médicinales au sein d’une même ethnie. Cette étude met en évidence l’importance des pratiques locales de gestion pour élaborer des recommandations dans le domaine de la gestion durable des plantes médicinales. / Plant species can have different uses. However, medicinal purposes play a central role in different cultures whether they are used for traditional medicine or for commercialization. At present, medicinal plant species are under strong pressure. This is due to their commercial uses and is related to the loss of their habitat. It is imperative to find options that will allow the utilisation of medicinal plant species in a sustainable way. Thus, it would allow a contribution to the socioeconomic well-being of those communities that depend upon the plants. Similarly, it is also important to understand the perception that communities have of their plants and their uses. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to better understand the relationships between traditional knowledge and the utilisation of medicinal plant species among these local communities. The research constitutes an exploratory-inductive study with strong geographical and ethno-botanical bases. In this research, we describe the patterns followed by indigenous Nahuas communities of la Huasteca Potosina in the management of medicinal plant species. Descriptive, historical, qualitative and quantitative data used for this study were gathered through bibliographic research and fieldwork. The result of the study describes a series of practices, values and social representations. It relates to the use of medicinal plant species within a specific ethnic group. The importance of this research is to highlight local practices and, thus, come up with additional recommendations to the sustainable utilisation of medicinal plant species. / Las plantas medicinales desempeñan un papel central, tanto para la medicina tradicional de algunas culturas como para satisfacer una demanda de mercado tanto local como externa. Dada la fuerte presión actual sobre las poblaciones de plantas medicinales - debido a la creciente explotación comercial y la pérdida de hábitat - es crucial encontrar opciones que permitan un manejo sostenible de este recurso, así como contribuir al mantenimiento del bienestar socioeconómico de las comunidades locales que dependen de éste. Por lo tanto, es importante entender las percepciones, la forma de explotación y manejo de las plantas medicinales por parte de las poblaciones. El objetivo de este proyecto es comprender mejor las interacciones entre los conocimientos tradicionales y la gestión de las plantas medicinales. Este estudio de caso es un estudio geográfico y etnobotánico inductivo / exploratorio. Donde es expuesto un retrato de las dinámicas de gestión de las plantas medicinales utilizadas por las comunidades nahuas de la Huasteca Potosina. La información presentada es el producto de un análisis de datos descriptivos, históricos, cualitativos y cuantitativos; obtenidos de una revisión bibliográfica y un trabajo de campo. Nuestra investigación muestra una serie de prácticas de manejo, intereses, valores y representaciones sociales de las plantas medicinales dentro de una misma etnicidad. Este estudio pone en relieve la importancia de las prácticas de gestión local para elaborar recomendaciones en el ámbito del manejo sostenible de las plantas medicinales.