c. AD 1200 – 1500
c.
HT-CBCO-000294
c. AD 1200 – 1500: In pre-Columbian Puerto Rico, shamanistic practices were deeply integrated into concepts of fertility and social health. Research by P.G. Roe highlights the role of the shaman in mediating between the human and spirit worlds, often utilizing ritual art and ceremonial objects like carved humeri and pierced teeth to manifest spiritual power. These objects were frequently decorated with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic motifs that reflected a complex mythology shared across the Orinocan and Antillean regions. This spiritual framework was essential for the maintenance of social order and the agricultural success of theocratic chiefdoms.
Source · HT-CBCO-000294
Keegan & Hofman, 265 / Bates: HT-CBCO-000294 [Ref: Roe 1997]