Entre el trabajo y el juego: perspectivas sobre la infancia en el suroeste norteamericano

Abstract

Some indications of the work roles, learning frameworks, and play activities that may have been assumed by pre- Hispanic Southwestern groups have been gleaned from extant archaeological data, although the picture is far from complete and is still somewhat speculative. Possible work for children included caring for younger children, participating in agricultural activities, grinding corn and doing other household tasks, and craft manufacture. Details about children’s involvement in ceramic manufacture are particularly instructive. The available evidence provides a good demonstration of the interactions between work, play, and learning. It appears that during relatively peaceful times, when the Sinagua lived in small dispersed communities, children began experimenting with clay and learning basic ceramics by making clay figurines and miniature ceramic bowls, jars, and ladles that would have been used as playthings. This early exposure to the properties of clay, although perhaps not in itself of practical import, might well have ultimately allowed children to become productive ceramicists at an early age. Later, during less peaceful times when the Sinagua generally resided in larger defensible communities, Sinagua children changed their play and work patterns and the small clay figurines and miniature vessels disappear from Sinagua sites.