A pottery figure of an ancestor, from the Zapotec culture (circa 200 BCE to 800 CE). Offering vessels like this one have been found in the tombs of high-ranking Zapotec lords and noblewomen in the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico. Zapotec nobles were buried in tombs set around the central plaza of their capital at Monte Albán, which was founded in the 500s BCE and flourished between the 200s and 600s CE. This imposing site was located on the top of a hill with views of the Oaxaca Valley and surrounding mountains. The non-noble Zapotec population, whose work fed and enriched the nobles, at its height numbered around 25,000. They lived on the terraced slopes in the valley below the mountain.
Royal ancestor worship was the focus of Zapotec belief and ceremonial practice and the powerful figures depicted on offering vessels are thought to represent these ancestors, rather than deities. Ancestry was very, very important to the Zapotec as power and wealth were passed on using genealogy and ancestral lines, similar to the European monarchies we were all taught about in history class. One way archaeologists know ancestry was important was the finding of many figurines of ancestors, like this one. They have been found inside noble tombs, positioned alongside bodies, as well as in niches in the walls. Figurines have also been found buried in the floors of ceremonial centers, seemingly as offerings. This particular example has an interesting chest ornament: a glyph or sculpted symbol of a day in the 260-day Zapotec ritual calendar. (image © Trustees of the British Museum)
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