Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History by Susan Toby Evans

From the Publisher

A comprehensive new survey that explores every aspect of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, from Paleoindian times to the sixteenth century.Susan Evans's authoritative new book provides overviews of the best-known regional cultures, such as those of the Olmecs, Maya, Zapotecs, and Aztecs, as well as balanced coverage of Mesoamerica as a whole, encompassing within the larger story the development of regions such as West Mexico, Guerrero, the Gulf lowlands, and the northern and southern frontiers of Mesoamerica. The differing cultures are examined within a chronological framework, with reference to the latest archaeological evidence and current research. The book also traces the development, apogee, and decline of numerous sites—from La Venta and Monte Alban to Teotihuacan, Palenque, and Tenochtitlan. Major cultural themes, such as the ball game, maize cultivation, and the development of the calendar, are analyzed in thirty-three special features. Fluently written and lavishly illustrated with photographs, drawings, and newly commissioned maps, this compelling and detailed book is an invaluable guide for travelers, students, scholars, and anyone interested in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. 460 illustrations, 70 in color.

Author Biography: Susan Toby Evans is Professor of Archaeology at Pennsylvania State University. She is senior editor (with David Webster) of Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopaedia, co-editor (with William T. Sanders) of the Aztec-period volumes of the Teotihuacan Valley Project Final Report, co-editor (with Joanne Pillsbury) of Ancient Palaces of the New World, and co-author (with Webster and Sanders) of Out of the Past: An Introduction to Archaeology.

Library Journal

In his all-encompassing synthetic history of Native American cultures of the vast region comprising Mexico and Central America today, Evans (anthropology, Pennsylvania State Univ.) traverses many thousands of years, from the earliest hunter-foragers to the sophisticated, urbanized societies encountered by the Spaniards. With vast reading and dogged inclusiveness, Evans has produced what must be the most informative single-volume survey of Pre-Columbian social evolution available. The reader will not only learn about the current understanding of better-known peoples like the Maya and Aztec but will also be thoroughly immersed in the scholarship surrounding obscure and sometimes peripheral societies and sites. Less than perfectly attentive readers might be overwhelmed by the adherence to an outline that is "horizontally" structured according to stages of societal development and further subdivided into not always intelligible "phases" that "vertically" characterize a myriad of geographic regions. The textbook-like scaffolding and strong tendency toward repetition further diminish the work. Nevertheless, there is no denying the usefulness of the redactions of recent archaeological studies; the many inserts on topics of pervasive import, like maize and the ballgame; the excellent gathering of reference maps; the detailed bibliography; and the 459 illustrations. All of these qualities are more than sufficient to recommend this valuable reference resource to collections attentive to the needs of serious students and sophisticated travelers.-Robert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents