Center for Latin American Studies

CLAS 595a and SPAN 449

 

Ancient Myths and Symbols:  The Andes Revisited

 

Instructor:  Lydia Fossa, Ph.D.         Room:         Psych  204 

Time:  T Th 11>12:15

Office:  Modern Languages 533         Office Hours:  T Th 4-5 and by appointment

Email:  lydiafos@u.arizona.edu

 

Description

This course will explore the first interpretations of Andean myths and symbols   I will compare them to contemporary discoveries or scientific milestones that confirm or negate those initial interpretations. 

 

Methodology

The class will achieve these goals by contrasting the information contained in sixteenth century texts with those of recent findings of historical, archaeological, aesthetic values.

 

Contents

The class will research two main themes during the semester:

 

                             A)  The Inka:  Political leader or deity?

B)     Khipu: History or Accounting?

 

The class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11>12:15 in Psych 204.

 

The classes as well as the discussions will be conducted in English or Spanish.  Sixteenth century texts will be read in Spanish, twentieth century texts will be either in English or in Spanish.

 

Evaluation

 

Two essays (5-7 pages), one on each of the main topics             50%

Quizzes and in-class exercises                                                    30%

Class participation                                                                     20%

 

Calendar

 

January        10                The Inka:  Monarchy or Polyarchy?

                                      Los Incas

15-17

22-24

                   29-31           Historia General Llamada Indica

 

February      5-7    

                   12-14           The Inka:  Political leader or deity?

19-21           Historia del Tawantinsuyu

26-28

 

March                   5-7    

                   13                Spring Break

19-21           Khipu: History or Accounting?

                                      Introducción al estudio de los quipus

                   26-28           El señorío de los Yngas

 

April            2-4              Nueva coronica y buen gobierno

                   9-11  

                   16-18           Code of the quipu

                   23-25

April-May    30-2             “From Knots to Narratives…” – “Two Khipu, One

Narrative”

Notables daños

 

 

Bibliography

Primary Texts

Cieza de León, Pedro Crónica del Perú. Segunda Parte, El señorío de los Yngas, Ed., Prolg. y Notas, F. Cantù, Ed. PUC, Lima, 1985

Guaman Poma de Ayala, Felipe,          Nueva coronica y buen gobierno [1615?], Edición y prólogo F. Pease G.Y., Vocabulario y traducciones de J. Szeminski, Ed. Fondo de Cultura Económica, Lima, 1993

Ondegardo, Polo   Notables daños de no guardar a los yndios sus fueros... [1571] (El mundo de los incas) Laura González y Alicia Alonso, eds., Historia 16, Madrid.  1990

Sarmiento de Gamboa, Pedro  Historia General Llamada Indica  [1572}, Miraguano Ed. y Ed. Polifemo,  Madrid,  1988

 

Secondary Texts

Ascher, Marcia and Robert Ascher      Code of the quipu : a study in media, mathematics, and culture, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1981

Fossa, Lydia          “Two Khipu, One Narrative”, in Ethnohistory, Vol 47, Number 2, 2000, 453 - 468

Pease, Franklin      Los Incas, Fondo Editorial Pontificia Universidad Católica, Lima, 1991

Radicatti di Primegio, Carlos   “Introducción al estudio de los quipus” in Usca paucar, Lima 1949-1950

Rostworowski de Diez Canseco, María  Historia del Tawantinsuyu, IEP,CONCYTEC, Lima, 1988

Salomon, Frank  “Los quipus y libros de la Tupicocha de hoy:  uninforme preliminar” in Arqueología, antropología e historia en los Andes.  Homenaje a María Rostworowski, IEP and BCR, Lima, 1997

Someda, Hidefuji   El imperio de los Incas.  Imagen del Tawantinsuyu creada por los cronistas, Ed. PUC, Lima, 1999

Urton, Gary            “From Knots to Narratives:  Reconstructing the Art of Historical Record Keeping in the Andes from Spanish Transcriptions of Inka Khipus” in Ethnohistory, Volume 45, Number 3, Summer 1998

          The History of a Myth.  Pacariqtambo and the Origin of the Inkas, U of Texas Press, Austin, 1990