H 290 x W 205 mm
468 pages
321 figures
Published Feb 2020
ISBN
Paperback: 9781789693539
Digital: 9781789693546
Keywords
West Mexico; sociocultural anthropology; ethnohistory; ethnoarchaeology; Mesoamerican ecumene
Related titles
Archaeopress Pre-Columbian Archaeology 12
By Eduardo Williams, Eduardo Williams
Paperback
£60.00
Includes PDF
PDF eBook
(personal use)
£16.00
PDF eBook
(institutional use)
£60.00
This volume presents a long-overdue synthesis and update on West Mexican archaeology. Ancient West Mexico has often been portrayed as a ‘marginal’ or ‘underdeveloped’ area of Mesoamerica. This book shows that the opposite is true and that it played a critical role in the cultural and historical development of the Mesoamerican ecumene.
Preface ;
Chapter I Introduction ;
Mesoamerica: Debates and Perspectives over Time ;
The Mesoamerican Ecumene ;
West Mexico in the Mesoamerican Ecumene ;
Discussion and Conclusions ;
Chapter II History of Archaeological Research in West Mexico ;
Part 1. History of Archaeological Research in Michoacán ;
Part 2. History of Archaeological Research in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Sinaloa ;
Final Remarks ;
Chapter III First Inhabitants and Early Cultural Development ;
Geographical Background of West Mexico ;
Paleoindian Period: West Mexico’s First Inhabitants ;
Archaic Period: First Examples of Settled Life ;
Final Remarks ;
Chapter IV The Formative Period (ca. 1500 BC-AD 300) ;
The Mesoamerican Ecumene during the Formative Period ;
The Middle Formative Period in West Mexico ;
The Late Formative Period in West Mexico ;
Cultural Relations between West and Central Mexico in the Formative ;
Final Remarks ;
Chapter V The Classic Period (ca. AD 250/300-900) ;
The Mesoamerican Ecumene during the Classic Period ;
The Classic Period in West Mexico ;
Cultural Relations between West and Central Mexico during the Classic Period ;
Final Remarks ;
Chapter VI The Postclassic Period (ca. AD 900-1521) ;
Part 1. The Central and Southern Areas of the Mesoamerican Ecumene in the Postclassic Period ;
Part 2. The Postclassic Period in West Mexico ;
Final Remarks ;
Chapter VII The Tarascan Empire in the Mesoamerican Ecumene ;
The Tarascan Empire in the Protohistoric Period (ca. AD 1450-1530) ;
The Lake Cuitzeo Basin: A Key Economic Area of the Tarascan Empire ;
Trade, Tribute and Transportation within the Tarascan Empire ;
Final Remarks ;
Chapter VIII Discussion and Conclusions ;
References Cited
'Williams’ bridging of the past and present through ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and ethnoarchaeological data centered on the importance of aquatic lifeways is a much-needed thread of continuity and identity where none previously existed. Critiques noted previously aside, this a solid piece of work and one that I am excited to hopefully see make its way into classrooms and onto bookshelves.'
There is no doubt that this is the book my students have been asking for in the way of a comprehensive overview of the archaeology of western Mexico.