El giro sacrificial. Reflexiones sobre el eje tupi-mexica

Abstract

This paper compares two well-known rituals described among the Aztec and the Tupinambá, during which captive warriors were put to death. Usually, the first is interpreted as a form of “sacrifice” taking place in a complex State organized around priestly structures; the second is associated with “cannibalism” and a fluid society, in constant becoming. However, the close resemblance between the two scripts allows to focus the comparison on more specific contrasts: between the key points of view (that of the predator in one case, that of the victim in the other); between a debt and an exchange economy; between heterosubstitution and homosubstitution; between a priest who monopolizes the role of the sacrificer and a shaman who never even manages to endorse it. “Sacrifice” and “cannibalism” are not superimposed heterogeneous practices, but immediate variations of the same procedure.

Keywords

• sacrifice
• cannibalism
• Aztec
• Tupinambá