In this Book
University of California Press
- Early Mesoamerican Social Transformations: Archaic and Formative Lifeways in the Soconusco Region
- Book
- 2011
- Published by: University of California Press
summary
Between 3500 and 500 bc, the social landscape of ancient Mesoamerica was completely transformed. At the beginning of this period, the mobile lifeways of a sparse population were oriented toward hunting and gathering. Three millennia later, protourban communities teemed with people. These essays by leading Mesoamerican archaeologists examine developments of the era as they unfolded in the Soconusco region along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Guatemala, a region that has emerged as crucial for understanding the rise of ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica. The contributors explore topics including the gendered division of labor, changes in subsistence, the character of ceremonialism, the emergence of social inequality, and large-scale patterns of population distribution and social change. Together, they demonstrate the contribution of Soconusco to cultural evolution in Mesoamerica and challenge what we thought we knew about the path toward social complexity.
Table of Contents
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- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. i-ii
- Contributors
- pp. v-vi
- Acknowledgments
- pp. viii-ix
- Part I: Archaic to Formative
- 4. Archaic to Formative in Soconusco
- pp. 67-94
- Part II: Emergent Complexity
- pp. 94-96
- 6. Paso de la Amada as a Ceremonial Center
- pp. 119-145
- Part III: Beyond the Individual Study Area
- 12. Concluding Thoughts
- pp. 272-280
- Production Notes
- pp. 291-294
Additional Information
ISBN
9780520950566
Related ISBN(s)
9780520268999
MARC Record
OCLC
756484691
Pages
304
Launched on MUSE
2014-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No