Rituals of Sacrifice: Walking the Face of the Earth on the Sacred Path of the Sun (Paperback)

by Vincent Stanzione (Author), Paul Harbaugh (Photographer), Charles Long (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Living and working among the Tz'utujil Maya people of Santiago Atitlán in highland Guatemala for some fifteen years, Vincent Stanzione has observed, photographed, and participated in their ritual and ceremonial life, which he describes with unique authority in this account of the continuities in Mayan culture from pre-Columbian times to the present.

"This book represents both a confirmation and an innovation in the scholarship and field work about the religious imagination and rites of passage of Maya peoples. I know of no book that is as able to a) link the pre-Hispanic, colonial and contemporary religious practices of these peoples into a coherent narrative, b) combine anthropological/religious studies theory with linguistics and ongoing field work as creatively and c) illuminate the debate between models of 'syncretism' and 'transculturation' about a contemporary ritual cycle as Stanzione's beautifully illustrated work."--David Carrasco, Harvard University

From the Publisher
The first North American edition of Stanzione’s longterm observations of traditional Maya ceremonies in Guatemala. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press; 1 edition (August 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826329179
• ISBN-13: 978-0826329172
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,343,322 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maya Peoples Live Through Myth and Ritual, May 14, 2004

By A Customer

Stanzione presents an insightful, respectful, dynamic account of his experiences among these Maya people by combining approaches from religious studies and anthropology. The book is also graced with beautiful and revealing black and white photographs and drawings of the everyday ritual practices in and around Santiago Atitlan. Especially important is Stanzione's reporting of contemporary versions of Maya mythology about the creation of the world, the lives of plants, the sexual relations of deities-all in relation to Christian practices and sacred stories that are important to the Maya. Readers interested in religious change, syncretism and transculturation as well as the ways the Maya suffer and resist state violence and the attacks of missionaries will find this book a very valuable resource.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous!, July 19, 2007

By	Larissa Boiwka - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a really amazing book. What a wonderful synthesis of knowledge on ancient and modern Maya! Highly reccommended!