Ornamental nationalism : : archaeology and antiquities in Mexico, 1876-1911 / / by Seonaid Valiant.

• Superior document: Brill's Studies in Intellectual History, Volume 269
• VerfasserIn: Valiant, Seonaid,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, The Netherlands ;, Boston, [Massachusetts] : : Brill,, 2018.; ©2018
• Year of Publication: 2018
• Language: English
• Series: Brill's studies in intellectual history ; v. 269.; Brill's studies in intellectual history. Brill's studies on art, art history, and intellectual history ; v. 20.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (301 pages) :; illustrations (some color).

In Ornamental Nationalism: Archaeology and Antiquities in Mexico, 1876-1911 , Seonaid Valiant examines the Porfirian government’s reworking of indigenous, particularly Aztec, images to create national symbols. She focuses in particular on the career of Mexico's first national archaeologist, Inspector General Leopoldo Batres. He was a controversial figure who was accused of selling artifacts and damaging sites through professional incompetence by his enemies, but who also played a crucial role in establishing Mexican control over the nation's archaeological heritage. Exploring debates between Batres and his rivals such as the anthropologists Zelia Nuttall and Marshall Saville, Valiant reveals how Porfirian politicians reinscribed the political meaning of artifacts while social scientists, both domestic and international, struggled to establish standards for Mexican archaeology that would undermine such endeavors.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Nation Building -- Designing the Porfiriato -- Rag of Barbarism: Aztecs and Mayas in International Thought (1804–1911) -- The Inspector General and Conservator of Archaeological Monuments -- Batres in the Field -- Batres Fought with All the World -- The Grand Tour: International Congress of Americanists, Mexico City, 1910 -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.