Abstract

YON, Rafael et al. Head-shaping: A Mesoamerican Millennial Tradition from the Preclassic Era to Modern Times. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2017, vol.50, pp.157-181. ISSN 0185-2574.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.2017.50.794.

Head shaping was a widespread Prehispanic practice deeply rooted in Mesoamerican people’s everyday life, especially among the Maya. After the Spanish Conquest, this practice was prohibited and has fallen in disuse, currently being just an interesting research topic for bioarcheology, physical anthropology, and ethnohistory, or, at least, this is what is commonly thought. Our research began by asking this point. Is the cranial shaping tradition really extinct? To address this query, we conducted questionnaires and interviews in the current territory of Guatemala. After that, we compared results with the recent bioarchaeological discussions and found an excellent analogy that glimpses at the continuation and transformation of this Prehispanic tradition.

Keywords : head shaping; contemporary Maya; embodiment; corporal anthropology; Guatemala.