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Article: The Natural History of the Soul in Ancient Mexico.
- Article from:
- Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
- Article date:
- March 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Royal Anthropological Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The approach taken in this fascinating book represents a return to the roots of anthropology that I, for one, hope will increasingly be part of its future. Art historian Jill Leslie McKeever Furst, a well-known authority on ancient Mesoamerica, addresses one of the most perplexing problems facing students of pre-Hispanic as well as contemporary Native American world view: clarifying native concepts of the human soul. Soul beliefs are difficult for people outside of a given culture to comprehend but the problems are compounded for the ancient Mesoamericans because of the sophistication and complexity of their thought and because the records of their beliefs have been filtered ...