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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 6 page paper considers the different types of body modification including scarification, cranial modification, tooth modification and a range of piercing, which are seen in Mesoamerica. These may start with the Olmecs but were also carried forward and developed by other civilisations such as the Maya, Aztec, Teotihuacán and Toltec. Examining these different permanent modification or mutilations the paper draws parallels with the practices of body modifications today and asserts that this has always been associated with social class and power. The bibliography cites 9 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TS14_TEbodmod.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
are common practices of self mutilation. The use of plastic surgery, enhance or reduce body features so as allow the subject to appear more attractive. This may also be extended
to a range of other cosmetic practices, body piercing the adding of jewels of gem stones to body parts and even the polishing of teeth. By looking at these there
are two messages being communicated, one is that of the opulence and the attractiveness that is created, but it is also a signal of the wealth and power that is
possessed by the subject so that they can undertake these changes. However, the concepts of altering appearance with physical changes to the body has not been limited to modern civilisations,
this may be traced as a common theme through to many o the ancient civilisations and we may argue it has been common in all American cultures, even going back
to the Mesoamerican cultures. The commonly believed first civilisation of central America are the Olmecs, occupying the areas which are now Veracruz and Tabasco between 1200 BC and 300
BC. The basis of this civilisation appears to have been carried forward into the later civilisations of the area (Lyon, 1997). The Olmecs had strict social hierarchy with the powerful
being the wealthy and the priest who played the role of todays politicians. Just as modern American may believe they need to
make the alterations to their body to meet social demands, to keep their place in society or for many other reasons, the Olmec ma have had a similar approach. There
was a very specific belief system that incorporates the importance of the body, the body being divided into three areas, the head representing the celestial realm, possibly explaining why there
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