Fluid Rocks: The (de)Territorializing Power of Andean and Angkorian Sacred Stones

Abstract

The inherent qualities of stone (hardness, durability, etc.) can explain why it serves as a prime medium of the sacred in different cultures, and stones commonly fix boundaries and territorialize the religious landscape. An investigation of the qualia of stone thus provides a useful baseline for cross-cultural comparison. However, an analysis of Andean and Angkorian rock veneration demonstrates that the power of stones often lies not in their obdurate stasis but in their fluid capacity to interact with liquids and precipitate metamorphosis and deterritorialization. Ultimately, the worlds created by stony beings varied significantly, as determined by historically specific cosmologies.