Historical Dictionary of Ancient Mesoamerica (review)

While reading a book concerning the religious ideology of the Aztec recently, I came across the name of a deity, Chalchiuhtlicue, with whom I was unfamiliar. Rather than search through a number of books or articles to learn who this figure was, I had only to refer to Palka's book, a practical reference manual that students of Mesoamerican archaeology and ethnohistory should have at their disposal. The book is part of a series of historical dictionaries that provides definitions on a breadth of topics, including "archaeological sites, material culture, social and economic organization, religion and belief systems, and the social history of ancient Mesoamerica" (xii). Although the title of the dictionary suggests a focus on the post-Contact cultures of Mexico and Central America, many of its entries pertain to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies. However, Palka does include ethnohistorical information where applicable.

Entries in the dictionary are relatively short, with only the most pertinent details included. By limiting the length of the entries, Palka has allowed for more extensive coverage of issues relevant to Mesoamerican archaeology (xii). Of course, there are some omissions, but that is inevitable in a book of this kind. All in all, Palka does an admirable job of including topics pertinent to Mesoamerican prehistory. The author's research specialization is the Maya, so this area is well-represented in the dictionary. However, he also includes entries on other groups, such as the Tarascan and the Toltec, that are less well known archaeologically. Most laudable is the fact that entries in the dictionary combine archaeological, ethnohistorical, linguistic, and ethnological information in a thoughtful presentation of each topic.

Students new to Mesoamerican archaeology, anthropologists specializing in other culture areas, historians, and nonprofessionals will find the dictionary an accessible source of basic information on the cultures of Mexico and Central America. Palka includes a generalized time line of significant cultural developments in Mesoamerica and a brief description of the ethnic groups and environmental conditions present in various regions. Many anthropological and archaeological terms, such as ceramics, are defined and discussed in terms of their specific relevance to Mesoamerican cultures. Similarly, topics such as astronomy, caves, jade, salt, and sacrifice, to name but a few, are included because of their significance in Mesoamerican studies. Rulers, deities, and ethnic groups are among some of the other entries included in the dictionary. Entries assume little or no prior knowledge of the topics, and terms that are themselves entries are placed in boldface type when they appear in the text. Furthermore, entries are cross-referenced so that the reader is made aware of any other terms that might be related to his or her topic of interest.

Perhaps the dictionary is most useful as a concise and readily available source of descriptions of many archaeological sites. These entries contain information on the geographical locations of the sites as well as their chronological placements, their cultural affiliations, and the most noteworthy archaeological discoveries made there. A map of Mexico and Central America at the beginning of the book includes each archaeological site entered in the dictionary, aiding the reader in locating them.

The pronunciation guide that accompanies some entries is a helpful addition. Curiously, however, a pronunciation guide does not accompany every entry, and while words like gold and death may not need such a guide, words like iximche and tzintzuntzan probably do. The dictionary contains sixteen black and white photographs (inserted as a group near the center of the book) to which readers are referred where appropriate, although no page number is ever given, only the instruction "see photo." At the end of the dictionary, Palka has included a bibliography organized by topic, which students can consult for further information on the subjects discussed in the entries.

Overall, the Historical Dictionary of Ancient Mesoamerica is a worthwhile reference manual for students and researchers in related disciplines, and professors may consider...