In Mesoamerica, at least since the Classic period (900-1200 CE), feathers were omnipresent. They were used to create garments, a wide variety of ornaments, insignia, artifacts, and architectural elements. It is thanks to the records in painting and sculpture that we can gain insight into the objects adorned with multicolored feathers, which, in their luxury versions, incorporated gold components. Of this “universe of feathers and gold,” only a few examples remain, making it seem impossible to speak of the thousands of objects that have vanished from the tangible world. In this context, we present the practical, formal, and symbolic consequences of the technical strategies employed in the creation of three surviving objects: a cuexyo chimalli, or Huastec shield; a round shield depicting a feathered canid; and a headdress known as Moctezuma’s Headdress. Currently, the first is housed in the National Museum of History in Mexico City, and the other two in the Weltmuseum Wien. All three pieces have been associated with the Mexica culture and central Mexico; they date to the late 15th and early 16th centuries; and they were crafted from raw materials of plant, animal, and mineral origin, most notably thousands of multicolored bird feathers and ornaments of laminated gold. Various research projects, led by conservation-restoration specialists and supported by laboratories equipped for the study of cultural artifacts (in Mexico and Austria), have resulted in the characterization of the three pieces. This work takes into account the information published on each of these objects since 2007 to make comparative analyses and analogies that reflect the fusion of two outstanding Mesoamerican artistic traditions: featherwork and goldsmithing.
This article critically analyzes the contradictions of neo-indigenism as a hegemonic development logic in Indigenous territories and its impact on the human and collective rights of the Chortí people of Honduras. It argues that global threats such as mining, drug trafficking, tourism, and welfare programs reinforce structural inequalities and perpetuate the exclusion of Indigenous peoples from the benefits generated in their territories. The research combines: a) documentary analysis of institutional reports, international legislation, and academic sources; b) a historical review of the patrimonialization of Copán and the Mayanization of Honduras; c) ethnographic contributions based on fieldwork with Chortí communities, including mapping the departments of Copán and Ocotepeque. Three main dynamics are identified: 1) neo-indigenism reproduces colonial tutelage relationships through welfare and environmental programs that fragment territorial governance; 2) mining in Azacualpa involves institutional violence, displacement, and desecration of the community cemetery; 3) archaeological tourism in Copán excludes the Ch’orti’ people from heritage management and limits them to precarious jobs and folkloric performances.The study concludes that neo-indigenism does not overcome assimilationist indigenism, but rather reconfigures it under market logics and international cooperation, where indigenous rights are formally recognized but violated in practice. It proposes decolonizing development through the effective recognition of territorial autonomy, binding prior consultation, and community control of heritage, highlighting locally based tourism and environmental alliances as still limited alternatives.
The present contribution is dedicated to an archaeological text written in German language that until now has been translated into Spanish despite the passage of 142 years after its original publication. Its author represents not only one of the protagonists of the beginnings of systematic archaeology in Europe, but also in Central America and Mexico. Through the study of the Lahmann Collection, the text is dedicated to the first great collection of archeological objects that left Costa Rica. Initiating a long tradition of looting Cultural Heritage at a historical moment when there was no legislation, nor awareness of its importance, this collection represents an outstanding example of the need and urgency to recover lost memories. In addition, the quality and quantity of the artifacts analyzed should motivate contemporary archaeologist to rescue at least the associated textual and graphic documentation, so that in some way their data can be integrated into the stratigraphic and contextual investigations of the present.
This contribution examines two publications published in German at the end of the 19th century, previously unknown in our country. To contextualize them, a section was written at the beginning that historically places them within the current of anthropological thought, not only European but also American. After independence, Central America was visited by hundreds of naturalists, collectors, and amateurs, whose activity had an impact that has not been sufficiently evaluated, as much of the scientific and literary production remained out of reach of these societies due to the language barrier. For the study of the beginnings of scientific research in archaeology, of science in general, and the construction of scientific exchange networks, it is essential to have access to the majority of the work written during that period.
This article examines the role of internet meme accounts and their administrators (mememakers) as elements of digital political participation during the 2022 general elections in Costa Rica. Based on a qualitative approach centered on case studies and in-depth interviews with six mememakers responsible for three active accounts on digital platforms (Los Memes de Mi Tía Panchita, Memenoticias, and Shitposter’s Guide 2 Costa Rica), the study explores their motivations, practices, and modes of involvement in the electoral process. Findings identify four key motivations: the need for spaces for humor, indignation toward the national sociopolitical context, the desire to inform through memes, and the exercise of freedom of expression. Additionally, the study highlights six forms of political participation enabled by these accounts: creation of political content, collaboration among accounts, dissemination of user-submitted materials, discussion of electoral events, distribution of information, and calls for civic mobilization. The study argues that, despite their similarities and differences, the mememakers interviewed are complex subjects whose practices combine humorous, critical, and informative dimensions. These individuals operate in a digital environment shaped by anonymity and the technical limitations of social media platforms, yet they facilitate symbolic spaces with public impact. The accounts they manage function as repertoires of connective action capable of influencing the public electoral conversation. While they do not yet constitute fully articulated political communities, they show signs of progressive organization, growing collaboration, and openness to more structured forms of digital participation.
