Dartmouth Events

Joel Palka, Associate Professor

School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University

Wednesday, May 21, 2025
4:30 PM
Location: Carpenter 013 Herb West Lecture Hall

Free and open to all

Lecture title: Fortified Sanctuaries and Deity Protection in Mesoamerica

Abstract: Patron deities, fortified temples, and human communities are interconnected in Mesoamerican conflict. This presentation examines Indigenous relational ontology and war theology involving fortifications, sanctuaries, and deity communication in Mexico and Central America. Ancient manuscripts from the region show temples with embedded arrows or flames indicating conquest. Ethnographic information points to the importance of communication with deities and ancestors for maintaining community well-being and success in war. Mesoamerican combatants protected deities, including their images and sanctuary homes (temples), for they were often captured or destroyed during sieges. Thus, Indigenous people fortified temples and sanctuaries not only for political and economic reasons, but for religious ones as well. Hence, site fortification was not only based on pragmatic military and material purposes, but on culturally practical decisions related to protecting deities, divine intercession, and sanctuary.

Sponsored by the Society of Fellows and Department of Religion, Archaeology and Religion Lecture Series