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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Jaguar and the Priest: An Ethnography of Tzeltal Souls

The Jaguar and the Priest: An Ethnography of Tzeltal Souls

Pitarch, Pedro
Wagner, Roy

Paperback

Native American HistoryAnthropology

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN10: 0292737475
ISBN13: 9780292737471
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: Nov 1 2010
Pages: 283
Weight: 0.92
Height: 0.64 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English

In contrast to western notions of the soul as the essence or most native part of a human being, the Tzeltal-speaking Indians of Chiapas, Mexico, regard the soul first and foremost as an Other. Made up of beings that personify the antithesis of their native selves--animals such as hummingbirds or jaguars, atmospheric phenomena like lightning bolts or rainbows, or spirits of European appearance such as Catholic priests or evangelical musicians--Tzeltal souls represent the maximum expression of that which is alien. And because their souls enfold that which is outside and Other, the Tzeltal contain within themselves the history of their relationship with Europeans from the beginning of the Spanish conquest to the present time. Thus, to understand the Indian self opens a window into the Tzeltal conception of culture and community, their notions of identity and alterity, and their interpretation of interethnic relations and types of historical memory.

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