Celebrating Sihó: The role of food and foodways in the construction of social identities

L Fernández Souza, M Zimmermann… - Her Cup for Sweet …, 2020 - degruyter.com
L Fernández Souza, M Zimmermann, S Pilar Jiménez Álvarez
Her Cup for Sweet Cacao: Food in Ancient Maya Society, 2020degruyter.com
For human beings, food is much more than a way to resolve subsistence needs. Producing,
preparing, cooking, and serving dishes play fundamental roles in how people see
themselves and relate to one another. The study of food offers a deep perspective on many
aspects of society because choices about what people eat and how they prepare and
consume foodstuffs depend on numerous factors, including class, ethnicity, gender roles,
technology, religion, and cultural values (Allen and Sachs 2012: 25; Armelagos 2003: 106; …
For human beings, food is much more than a way to resolve subsistence needs. Producing, preparing, cooking, and serving dishes play fundamental roles in how people see themselves and relate to one another. The study of food offers a deep perspective on many aspects of society because choices about what people eat and how they prepare and consume foodstuffs depend on numerous factors, including class, ethnicity, gender roles, technology, religion, and cultural values (Allen and Sachs 2012: 25; Armelagos 2003: 106; Ayora-Díaz 2012; Dietler 1996; Dirks and Hunter 2013: 5; Inness 2001: 5–6; Moore 2013: 79). As mentioned by Ardren in the introduction to this volume, food provides a social glue because most of its associated processes involve some sort of social interaction (Armelagos 2003: 105; Hastorf 2012: 218; 2017). Meals may help create or reinforce group and family ties. Sharing food is an endearing way to strengthen affections, build memories, and close deals, but it can simultaneously be used to mark differences and establish social, political, or economic ranking (Appadurai 1981; Dietler 1996; Hastorf 2012, 2017; Hendon, this volume). In both senses, food is a powerful agent, closely involved with the construction of social identities at different levels. In this chapter, we explore the role of food and foodways in the construction and negotiation of social identities at Sihó, Yucatán, a northern lowland Maya settlement that reached its peak during the Late Classic (600–900 CE) and Terminal Classic periods (850–1000 CE). Using data from household contexts, we were able to obtain insight into the food consumption patterns of Sihó’s inhabitants. Based on the comparison of culinary equipment, spot-test chemical analyses, zooarchaeological evidence, and starch grains from seven residential compounds representative of different status groups, we discuss how food may have contributed to
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