Whether it was boxing, gambling, or foot-long cigars, ancient Americans knew how to have a good time. by Rob Crisell Last September, the Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, D.C., invited six scholars from across the United States to speak on the much-neglected subject of pleasurable activities in ancient America. Few if any such discussions had ever been held on this subject, which made the symposium almost revolutionary. During the day-long event, the scholars addressed a number of enjoyable distractions that Aztec, Maya, Inca, and North American natives enjoyed, including boxing, ballgames, gardening, enemas, tobacco, cuisine, gambling, and music. We interviewed the participants as well as other scholars to try to reach a better understanding of how people in ancient America enjoyed themselves.
W
hether it is a prehistoric Passamaquoddy village in eastern Maine or a Maya temple in Quintana Roo, archaeological sites often present a paradox for modern-day visitors. In one sense, the dramatic architecture and romantic landscape of a site may overwhelm us with its power. However, even well-informed, reasonably imaginative visitors often have difficulty shaking off the lonely, silent weight of such places. Everyday activities that must have occupied the past inhabitants— dancing, playing, eating, singing, laughing—seem altogether incongruous at these solemn ruins. It is no wonder that visitors and archaeologists alike often hypothesize solemn people to populate them. As archaeologist Dorie Reents-Budet quipped, referring to the ancient Maya: “For years we had a picture of priests hanging out in the jungle, worshiping time.”
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As a result, the anthropological view of recreation was ritualized and sacramentalized to such an extent that it seemed some researchers begrudged the right of any ancient people to so much as play a game unless it could be linked to a shamanistic rite of passage. The picture has changed dramatically over the past 20 years as archaeologists, especially those studying the seminal Mesoamerican cultures such as the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec, have achieved incredible breakthroughs in the interpretation of hieroglyphics and art while simultaneously rediscovering the ethnohistoric records. Researchers began to question the rigid scientism of the New Archaeology, attempting once again to approach these cultures on more humanistic terms. As Jeffrey Quilter of Dumbarton Oaks explains, our efforts to compartmentalize human activity in our own spring
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2001
SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM, WASHINGTON DC/ART RESOURCE, NY
Pleasure Gardens, Alcohol Enemas, and ChocolateCovered Tamales
