Olmec to Aztec

Olmec to Aztec PDF Author: Barbara L. Stark
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 9780816516896
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
Archaeological settlement patterns—the ways in which ancient people distributed themselves across a natural and cultural landscape—provide the central theme for this long-overdue update to our understanding of the Mexican Gulf lowlands Olmec to Aztec offers the only recent treatment of the region that considers its entire prehistory from the second millennium B.C. to A.D. 1519. The editors have assembled a distinguished group of international scholars, several of whom here provide the first widely available English-language account of ongoing research. Several studies present up-to-date syntheses of the archaeological record in their respective areas. Other chapters provide exciting new data and innovative insights into future directions in Gulf lowland archaeology. Olmec to Aztec is a crucial resource for archaeologists working in Mexico and other areas of Latin America. Its contributions help dispel long-standing misunderstandings about the prehistory of this region and also correct the sometimes overzealous manner in which cultural change within the Gulf lowlands has been attributed to external forces. This important book clearly demonstrates that the Gulf lowlands played a critical role in ancient Mesoamerica throughout the entirety of pre-Columbian history.

Olmec to Aztec

Olmec to Aztec PDF Author: Barbara L. Stark
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 9780816516896
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 408

Get Book Here

Book Description
Archaeological settlement patterns—the ways in which ancient people distributed themselves across a natural and cultural landscape—provide the central theme for this long-overdue update to our understanding of the Mexican Gulf lowlands Olmec to Aztec offers the only recent treatment of the region that considers its entire prehistory from the second millennium B.C. to A.D. 1519. The editors have assembled a distinguished group of international scholars, several of whom here provide the first widely available English-language account of ongoing research. Several studies present up-to-date syntheses of the archaeological record in their respective areas. Other chapters provide exciting new data and innovative insights into future directions in Gulf lowland archaeology. Olmec to Aztec is a crucial resource for archaeologists working in Mexico and other areas of Latin America. Its contributions help dispel long-standing misunderstandings about the prehistory of this region and also correct the sometimes overzealous manner in which cultural change within the Gulf lowlands has been attributed to external forces. This important book clearly demonstrates that the Gulf lowlands played a critical role in ancient Mesoamerica throughout the entirety of pre-Columbian history.

War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica

War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica PDF Author: Ross Hassig
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520077342
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
In this study of warfare in ancient Mesoamerica, Ross Hassig offers new insight into three thousand years of Mesoamerican history, from roughly 1500 B.C. to the Spanish conquest. He examines the methods, purposes, and values of warfare as practiced by the major pre-Columbian societies and shows how warfare affected the rise of the state.

The A to Z of Ancient South America

The A to Z of Ancient South America PDF Author: Martin Giesso
Publisher: A to Z Guide Series
ISBN: 9780810875746
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The earliest settlers arrived in South America more than 12,000 years ago. These settlers and their descendants populated and adapted to South America's varied geographic regions. From the continent's vast grasslands of central Argentina to the large river basins of the Amazon, and from the high Andean mountains to Tierra del Fuego-"the end of the world," great civilizations, like the Inca, and smaller ones, like the Wari, made South America their home. The A to Z of Ancient South America describes our current knowledge of the indigenous peoples who lived in South America prior to the arrival of the Europeans in the 1500s. Through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 700 cross-referenced dictionary entries on names of sites and archaeological groups or cultures; material items, such as architectural elements, deities, and crops; and famous archaeologists who have worked in South America, the prehistory of all the regions in South America are covered.

Ancient Mesoamerican Warfare

Ancient Mesoamerican Warfare PDF Author: M. Kathryn Brown
Publisher: Rowman Altamira
ISBN: 9780759102835
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
Collection of articles providing new research on warfare in ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican societies based on archaeological, ethnohistorical, and linguistic evidence

Encyclopedia of the Ancient Maya

Encyclopedia of the Ancient Maya PDF Author: Walter R. T. Witschey
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0759122865
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 575

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Book Description
Encyclopedia of the Ancient Maya offers an A-to-Z overview of the ancient Maya culture from its inception around 3000 BC to the Spanish Conquest after AD 1600. Over two hundred entries written by more than sixty researchers explore subjects ranging from food, clothing, and shelter to the sophisticated calendar and now-deciphered Maya writing system. They bring special attention to environmental concerns and climate variation; fresh understandings of shifting power dynamics and dynasties; and the revelations from emerging field techniques (such as LiDAR remote sensing) and newly explored sites (such as La Corona, Tamchen, and Yaxnohkah). This one-volume reference is an essential companion for students studying ancient civilizations, as well as a perfect resource for those planning to visit the Maya area. Cross-referencing, topical and alphabetical lists of entries, and a comprehensive index help readers find relevant details. Suggestions for further reading conclude each entry, while sidebars profile historical figures who have shaped Maya research. Maps highlight terrain, archaeological sites, language distribution, and more; over fifty photographs complement the volume.

The Market for Mesoamerica

The Market for Mesoamerica PDF Author: Cara G. Tremain
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813056449
Category : Indian art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This book will explore past, current, and future policies and trends concerning the sale of antiquities from Mesoamerica. Having outlined gaps in our knowledge, this book seeks to identify the substantive steps that the academic community can take toward affecting transparency, accountability, and ethical practice within the Pre-Columbian antiquities market.

Calculating Brilliance

Calculating Brilliance PDF Author: Gerardo Aldana
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816542201
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
This book contextualizes the discovery of a Venus astronomical pattern by a female Mayan astronomer at Chich'en Itza and the discovery's later adaptation and application at Mayapan. Calculating Brilliance brings different intellectual threads together across time and space, from the Classic to the Postclassic, the colonial period to the twenty-first century to offer a new vision for understanding Mayan astronomy.

Pre-Columbian Foodways

Pre-Columbian Foodways PDF Author: John Staller
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441904719
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 691

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Book Description
The significance of food and feasting to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures has been extensively studied by archaeologists, anthropologists and art historians. Foodways studies have been critical to our understanding of early agriculture, political economies, and the domestication and management of plants and animals. Scholars from diverse fields have explored the symbolic complexity of food and its preparation, as well as the social importance of feasting in contemporary and historical societies. This book unites these disciplinary perspectives — from the social and biological sciences to art history and epigraphy — creating a work comprehensive in scope, which reveals our increasing understanding of the various roles of foods and cuisines in Mesoamerican cultures. The volume is organized thematically into three sections. Part 1 gives an overview of food and feasting practices as well as ancient economies in Mesoamerica. Part 2 details ethnographic, epigraphic and isotopic evidence of these practices. Finally, Part 3 presents the metaphoric value of food in Mesoamerican symbolism, ritual, and mythology. The resulting volume provides a thorough, interdisciplinary resource for understanding, food, feasting, and cultural practices in Mesoamerica.

Mesoamerican Elites

Mesoamerican Elites PDF Author: Diane Z. Chase
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 9780806135427
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
In Mesoamerican Elites, Diane Z. Chase and Arlen F. Chase present a wide variety of essays, all of which evaluate current archaeological knowledge of the privileged ruling classes, or elites, in Mesoamerica. Some experts argue that Mesoamerican societies consisted only of elites and peasants, while others argue that considerable intermediate social levels also existed. In light of such diverse opinions, this volume addresses problems in the interpretation of archaeological evidence regarding ancient Mesoamerican social structure.

The Oxford Handbook of Mesoamerican Archaeology

The Oxford Handbook of Mesoamerican Archaeology PDF Author: Deborah L. Nichols
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199875006
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 996

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Mesoamerican Archaeology provides a current and comprehensive guide to the recent and on-going archaeology of Mesoamerica. Though the emphasis is on prehispanic societies, this Handbook also includes coverage of important new work by archaeologists on the Colonial and Republican periods. Unique among recent works, the text brings together in a single volume article-length regional syntheses and topical overviews written by active scholars in the field of Mesoamerican archaeology. The first section of the Handbook provides an overview of recent history and trends of Mesoamerica and articles on national archaeology programs and practice in Central America and Mexico written by archaeologists from these countries. These are followed by regional syntheses organized by time period, beginning with early hunter-gatherer societies and the first farmers of Mesoamerica and concluding with a discussion of the Spanish Conquest and frontiers and peripheries of Mesoamerica. Topical and comparative articles comprise the remainder of Handbook. They cover important dimensions of prehispanic societies--from ecology, economy, and environment to social and political relations--and discuss significant methodological contributions, such as geo-chemical source studies, as well as new theories and diverse theoretical perspectives. The Handbook concludes with a section on the archaeology of the Spanish conquest and the Colonial and Republican periods to connect the prehispanic, proto-historic, and historic periods. This volume will be a must-read for students and professional archaeologists, as well as other scholars including historians, art historians, geographers, and ethnographers with an interest in Mesoamerica.