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civil‐religious hierarchies in central Chiapas: a critical perspective
Author(s) -
RUS JAN,
WASSERSTROM ROBERT
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1980.7.3.02a00050
Subject(s) - mesoamerica , perspective (graphical) , subject (documents) , structuring , sociology , anthropology , history , geography , ethnology , political science , archaeology , law , art , library science , computer science , visual arts
Civil‐religious hierarchies (cargo systems) have often formed the subject of anthropological research in Mesoamerica; indeed, it has been said that they play an essential role in structuring and organizing native communities. Using ethnohistorical evidence from highland Chiapas, however, we argue that such hierarchies emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in response to changes in the regional economy that placed new demands upon Indian laborers. [civil‐religious hierarchies, cargo systems, Mesoamerica, economic development]