What If the Aztec Empire Never Existed? The Prerequisites of Empire and the Politics of Plausible Alternative Histories

Christopher T. Morehart

44 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Anthropologist

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Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies Cultural Identity and Heritage

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article studies archaeological and local versions of the past at Xaltocan, Mexico. At Xaltocan, the past provides a vehicle for statements of ethnic, national, and community identity. Community organizations seek to glorify the town as the descendant of an ancient kingdom that, had a different constellation of historical processes transpired, could have become both the center of an empire and a nation. This process raises questions regarding archaeology's utility and points of convergence and divergence between archaeological and local versions of the past. Rather than disregard the local appropriation of archaeological knowledge, this article attempts both to recognize the relationship between the past and identity politics and to assess local claims by examining archaeological and historical data. This article also considers the problems of this project, particularly the unintended consequences of archaeological research connected to identity politics. [identity, heritage, empire, Mexico, Aztec empire] RESUMEN Este artículo estudia las versiones arqueológicas y locales del pasado en Xaltocan, México. En Xaltocan, el pasado proporciona un vehículo para la manifestación de la identidad étnica, nacional y comunitaria. Las organizaciones de la comunidad tratan de glorificar a la ciudad como descendientes de un antiguo reino que, habiendose dado una constelación diferente de procesos históricos, podría haberse convertido en el centro de un imperio y una nación. Este proceso plantea dudas sobre la utilidad de la arqueología y los puntos de convergencia y divergencia entre las versiones arqueológicas y locales del pasado. Este artículo intenta reconocer la relación entre el pasado y las políticas de identidad y evaluar los reclamos locales mediante el examen de los datos arqueológicos e históricos. También, este artículo considera los problemas de este proyecto, en particular, las consecuencias impremeditadas de la investigación arqueológica ligadas a la política de identidad.

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References

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2014EVERYDAY ACTION AND THE RISE AND DECLINE OF ANCIENT POLITIES: HOUSEHOLD STRATEGY AND POLITICAL CHANGE IN POSTCLASSIC XALTOCAN, MEXICO 2018Archaeologies of empire and environment 2018Style, Memory, and the Production of History: Aztec Pottery and the Materialization of a Toltec Legacy 2016THE TRADE IN COOKING POTS UNDER THE AZTEC AND SPANISH EMPIRES 2016Let the earth forever remain! Landscape legacies and the materiality of history in the northern Basin of Mexico

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