Early Mesoamerican Cities

Early Mesoamerican Cities PDF Author: Michael Love
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108982778
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Urbanization is a phenomenon that brings into focus a range of topics of broad interest to scholars. It is one of the central, enduring interests of anthropological archaeology. Because urbanization is a transformational process, it changes the relationships between social and cultural variables such as demography, economy, politics, and ideology. As one of a handful of cases in the ancient world where cities developed independently, Mesoamerica should play a major role in the global, comparative analysis of first-generation cities and urbanism in general. Yet most research focuses on later manifestations of urbanism in Mesoamerica, thereby perpetuating the fallacy that Mesoamerican cities developed relatively late in comparison to urban centers in the rest of the world. This volume presents new data, case studies, and models for approaching the subject of early Mesoamerican cities. It demonstrates how the study of urbanism in Mesoamerica, and all ancient civilizations, is entering a new and dynamic phase of scholarship.

Early Mesoamerican Cities

Early Mesoamerican Cities PDF Author: Michael Love
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108838510
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
This study of early cities in Mesoamerica will contribute significantly to the world-wide discourse on early cities and urbanism.

Early Mesoamerican Cities

Early Mesoamerican Cities PDF Author: Michael Love
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781108971539
Category : Extinct cities
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"Ancient Mesoamerica was a land of cities (Fig 1.1.). Above all, it was the number and the density of cities that distinguished Mesoamerica from the complex societies in neighboring areas of North America and lower Central America. Further, although ancient Mesoamerican cities interacted to varying degrees with those cultures to the north and south, they interacted most intensively with one another. It was the shared cultural practices produced by those relationships that define Mesoamerica (Kirchoff 1943; R. Joyce 2004a)"--

The Neighborhood as a Social and Spatial Unit in Mesoamerican Cities

The Neighborhood as a Social and Spatial Unit in Mesoamerican Cities PDF Author: M. Charlotte Arnauld
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816520240
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 357

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Book Description
Recent realizations that prehispanic cities in Mesoamerica were fundamentally different from western cities of the same period have led to increasing examination of the neighborhood as an intermediate unit at the heart of prehispanic urbanization. This book addresses the subject of neighborhoods in archaeology as analytical units between households and whole settlements. The contributions gathered here provide fieldwork data to document the existence of sociopolitically distinct neighborhoods within ancient Mesoamerican settlements, building upon recent advances in multi-scale archaeological studies of these communities. Chapters illustrate the cultural variation across Mesoamerica, including data and interpretations on several different cities with a thematic focus on regional contrasts. This topic is relatively new and complex, and this book is a strong contribution for three interwoven reasons. First, the long history of research on the “Teotihuacan barrios” is scrutinized and withstands the test of new evidence and comparison with other Mesoamerican cities. Second, Maya studies of dense settlement patterns are now mature enough to provide substantial case studies. Third, theoretical investigation of ancient urbanization all over the world is now more complex and open than it was before, giving relevance to Mesoamerican perspectives on ancient and modern societies in time and space. This volume will be of interest not only to scholars and student specialists of the Mesoamerican past but also to social scientists and urbanists looking to contrast ancient cultures worldwide.

LOST KINGDOMS OF CENTRAL AMERICA

LOST KINGDOMS OF CENTRAL AMERICA PDF Author: Norah Romney
Publisher: DTTV PUBLICATIONS
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Thousands of years ago, people settled in the part of the world called Mesoamerica. This region consists of southern Mexico and most of Central America as it stretches between what is now called the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Although many different countries now exist within this space, it was the original home to just one civilisation: the Olmec. As time advanced, other well-known groups became dominant in the area. These were primarily the Aztecs and the Mayan. All these early civilizations that existed from approximately 1200 BCE to 900 CE were steeped with culture, tradition, commerce, and conflict. They also offer many mysteries and enigmas to modern understanding. These are the things that make people wonder about how the civilisations arose, gained such power, and why they disappeared. Travel back in time to the first days to discover the questions that still exist in the minds of archaeologists, historians, and others who strive to understand the ancient mysteries of Mesoamerica.

Mobility and Migration in Ancient Mesoamerican Cities

Mobility and Migration in Ancient Mesoamerican Cities PDF Author: M. Charlotte Arnauld
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
ISBN: 9781646426591
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Mobility and Migration in Ancient Mesoamerican Cities is the first focused book-length discussion of migration in central Mexico, west Mexico and the Maya region, presenting case studies on population movement in and among Classic, Epiclassic, and Postclassic Mesoamerican societies and polities within the framework of urbanization and de-urbanization. Looking beyond the conceptual dichotomy of sedentism versus mobility, the contributors show that mobility and migration reveal a great deal about the formation, development, and decline of town- and city-based societies in the ancient world. In a series of data-rich chapters that address specific evidence for movement in their respective study areas, an international group of scholars assesses mobility through the isotopic and demographic analysis of human remains, stratigraphic identification of gaps in occupation, and local intensification of water capture in the Maya lowlands. Others examine migration through the integration of historic and archaeological evidence in Michoacán and Yucatán and by registering how daily life changed in response to the influx of new people in the Basin of Mexico. Offering a range of critical insights into the vital and under-studied role that mobility and migration played in complex agrarian societies, Mobility and Migration in Ancient Mesoamerican Cities will be of value to Mesoamericanist archaeologists, ethnohistorians, and bioarchaeologists and to any scholars working on complex societies. Contributors: Jaime J. Awe, Meggan Bullock, Sarah C. Clayton, Andrea Cucina, Véronique Darras, Nicholas P. Dunning, Mélanie Forné, Marion Forest, Carolyn Freiwald, Elizabeth Graham, Nancy Gonlin, Julie A. Hoggarth, Linda Howie, Elsa Jadot, Kristin V. Landau, Eva Lemonnier, Dominique Michelet, David Ortegón Zapata, Prudence M. Rice, Thelma N. Sierra Sosa, Michael P. Smyth, Vera Tiesler, Eric Weaver

The Early Mesoamerican Village

The Early Mesoamerican Village PDF Author: Kent V. Flannery
Publisher: New York : Academic Press
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 398

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Book Description


The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica

The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica PDF Author: Michael E. Smith
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631211150
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 520

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Book Description
The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica: A Reader brings together twenty-three of the most influential essays by leading scholars to reveal the rich variety of cultures and societies that existed in ancient Mesoamerica.

Civilization of the Americas

Civilization of the Americas PDF Author: Ethan Gomez
Publisher: DTTV PUBLICATIONS
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
Introduction There is much more to Mesoamerica than the Aztec, Mayan, and Toltec civilizations. In fact, several different ancient Mesoamerican civilizations had their own gods and religious beliefs. These civilizations included the Olmec civilization, Zapotec civilization, Teotihuacan civilization, Maya civilization, Toltec civilization, and Aztec civilization. The Olmec civilization is the first known Mesoamerican civilization. The name Olmec comes from the Nahuatl word for rubber people, and they were pre-Columbian people living in what is now southern Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The Olmecs are essential to history because they were the first Mesoamerican people to develop a writing system, use hieroglyphics, and construct significant stone monuments (such as pyramids). The calendar developed by the Olmecs was one of their most remarkable achievements. They based their calendar on 365 days divided into 18 months of 20 days each plus 5 extra days at the end of each year—so it was different from our current calendar! They also used zero as part of their number system, which is why we still use it today! The Zapotec civilization was in the Oaxaca Valley, Mexico. This Mesoamerican civilization was known for using the Mesoamerican writing system and art. The Zapotecs were one of the first civilizations in Mexico to develop a writing system. They used it to write on stone or pottery, but we don't know what their language sounded like because no one left any written records about them or their lives, so all that remains is physical evidence, like pottery with pictures and hieroglyphs carved into it. This type of evidence is called epigraphic because it's an inscription on something else (like a statue). The city of Teotihuacan was a center of trade and politics. It existed from about 300 BC until 600 AD when it was abandoned. The site has been a subject of archaeology since the 19th century; it is now an essential source of information on Mesoamerican civilization, among the most significant early cities in pre-Columbian America. The city is located just north of present-day Mexico City in the state (state = province/county) of Mexico, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of the Federal District (Mexico City). The name "Teotihuacan" means "place where men become gods," possibly an allusion to their belief that their rulers became divine after death. The Teotihuacanos were not only builders but also warriors; they fought with neighboring groups over territory and resources. Their most important military victory came in 378 AD against Xolalpan by capturing its ruler Cuauhtémoc and killing many Xolalpan warriors during battle. After this victory, they took over Xolalpan's lands, including Azcapotzalco, Colhuacan, and Tlaxcala areas, where they established their control over those regions along with other surrounding places like Cholula or Chichen Itza until finally falling into decline due to internal conflicts caused by constant wars between various ethnic groups within the Aztec Empire itself during its final years before being conquered by Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés after they arrived at Cempoala Island (between Veracruz/Tamiahua province) in July 1519

Ancient Maya Cities of the Eastern Lowlands

Ancient Maya Cities of the Eastern Lowlands PDF Author: Brett Alan Houk
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813060637
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
Using field reports, data sets and "grey" literature on the many excavated sites, Houk provides a synthesis of archaeological data on the ancient cities of modern Belize for the Classical period and explores their urban planning and built environment. By examining the lowland cities, Houk's work offers balance to the literature on the entire Classic Maya polity.

The A to Z of Ancient Mesoamerica

The A to Z of Ancient Mesoamerica PDF Author: Joel W. Palka
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 1461671736
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Ancient Mesoamerica drew world interest in the 19th century when photographs, drawings, and descriptions of discoveries of ruined cities in exotic locations in Mexico and Central America were published. These accounts from early explorers, archaeologists, and travelers made the cultures and archaeological sites of ancient Mesoamerica including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Mixtec, Tarascan, Toltec, Zapotec, and other civilizations a major focus of intensive research, public and private funding, and lay interest. The A to Z of Ancient Mesoamerica covers some of the major discoveries throughout ancient Mesoamerica from the last 100 years. The results of previous and continuing research and explorations, plus recent interpretations of ancient cultures and new work at archaeological sites in Mesoamerica are summarized here. Included in this volume are information and insights on archaeological sites, material culture, social and economic organization, religion and belief systems, and the social history of ancient Mesoamerica. The entries contain geographical, chronological, historical, and interpretive data that serve as a condensed and accessible resource of reference material. Also presented here are select historical personages of ancient times and some brief notes on their lives and accomplishments taken from hieroglyphic texts, painted books or codices, and written documents and oral histories from the colonial period. With a bibliography and chronology, this text will be the perfect starting point for high school or undergraduate research, and a helpful ready-reference for more experienced scholars.