Ancient Mesoamerica: A Comparison of Change in Three Regions

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Ancient Mesoamerica: A Comparison of Change in Three Regions
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Richard E. Blanton
By (author) Stephen A. Kowalewski
By (author) Gary M. Feinman
By (author) Laura M. Finsten
SeriesNew Studies in Archaeology
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:300
Dimensions(mm): Height 254,Width 178
Category/GenreArchaeology by period and region
ISBN/Barcode 9780521446068
ClassificationsDewey:972
Audience
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Professional & Vocational
Edition 2nd Revised edition
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 30 April 1993
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Mesoamerica has become one of the world's most important areas for research into the emergence of complex human societies. Between 10,000 years ago and the arrival of the Spanish in 1521, some of the most significant changes in the evolution of human societies occurred. These included the emergence of agriculture and sedentary villages, the growth of centralized governments (chiefdoms and states), and the rise of market systems, cities, and highly stratified social systems. In the last two decades a number of ambitious research efforts have produced exciting new data on culture change in Mesoamerica. In this revised and updated edition of a book first published in l98l, the authors present a synthesis of Mesoamerican prehistory, focusing on three of its most intensively studied regions, the Valleys of Oaxaca and Mexico and the Maya lowlands. An original framework of ideas is developed to explain long-term change in complex societies.

Reviews

"This has to be one of the most valuable student texts of recent years, and should be compulsory reading for all students of archaeology." Nick Sanders, New Scientist