Prehistoric Coastal Adaptations

Prehistoric Coastal Adaptations
Author: Barbara L. Stark
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2013-09-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1483276368

Prehistoric Coastal Adaptations: The Economy and Ecology of Maritime Middle America is a compendium of research papers and treatises on Middle American people who lived within coastal habitats. The collection aims to reveal distinctive coastal adaptations and the role of Middle American people in major social transformations. The book discusses topics on the history of occupations of certain coastal sites; correlation of site location to resource procurement patterns; settlement locations and subsistence evidence in the coastal and inland habitats of Costa Rica; and the maritime adaptation and the rise of Maya civilization. The final chapter of the book also discusses the future research directions in the study of Middle American coastal people. The text will be of value to archeologists, anthropologists, historians, ethnologists, and researchers.

Patarata Pottery

Patarata Pottery
Author: Barbara L. Stark
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1989
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780816511211

This monograph marks the first presentation of a detailed Classic period ceramic chronology for central and southern Veracruz, the first detailed study of a Gulf Coast pottery production locale, and the first sourcing-distribution study of a Gulf Coast pottery complex.

Environmental Hydraulics, Two Volume Set

Environmental Hydraulics, Two Volume Set
Author: George C. Christodoulou
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 1288
Release: 2010-06-09
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0203841239

Over the last two decades environmental hydraulics as an academic discipline has expanded considerably, caused by growing concerns over water environmental issues associated with pollution and water balance problems on regional and global scale. These issues require a thorough understanding of processes related to environmental flows and transport

Traditional Mexican Agriculture

Traditional Mexican Agriculture
Author: Alba González Jácome
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 742
Release: 2022-04-19
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1000427269

This long-needed book highlights how traditional Mexican agriculture has changed according to environmental, climatic, geographical, social and cultural conditions. Grounded in archaeological-historical data from interrelated research of various scientific disciplines, the book also draws on studies made by anthropologists of varied small-scale agricultural groups. Traditional Mexican Agriculture is the result of a holistic study of Mexican agriculture. It offers the reader a perspective of traditional agriculture in Mexico from social, cultural and ecological Anthropology, Ethnology, regional and environmental History, and Agroecology, to help obtain sustainable agroecology where human societies obtain better ways of life and a healthy and nutritious food system. The book further aims to recover ideas, management, and components of local knowledge of small-scale farmers. Pitched at university students and academics, as well as researchers and developers of agricultural matters, this book will be ideal reading at agrarian universities and related institutions. It provides a basis for future studies in sustainable agricultural systems in this region.

Rivers in Prehistory

Rivers in Prehistory
Author: Andrea Vianello
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2015-08-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1784911798

From antiquity onwards people have opted to live near rivers and major watercourses. This volume explores rivers as facilitators of movement through landscapes, and it investigates the reasons for living near a river, as well as the role of the river in the human landscape.

The Archaeology of Political Organization

The Archaeology of Political Organization
Author: Barbara L. Stark
Publisher: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press
Total Pages: 438
Release: 2022-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1950446190

In this volume, Barbara Stark examines settlement in the coastal plain of lowland Mesoamerica, which was richly endowed with fertile soil and valued tropical resources such as jaguars, cacao, avian species with bright plumage, and cotton. The book provides basic archaeological data about regional settlement from three decades of survey research in south-central Veracruz in the western lower Papaloapan basin, a region with low density urbanism. The data reveals political and social change, with consolidation of wealth by elite families during the Late Classic period. The political analysis considers archaeological evidence related to several organizational principles: collective versus autocratic, corporate versus exclusionary/network, and segmentary (unspecialized versus specialized). Many variables related to these principles used by other scholars are either suited to historically documented states, not archaeological ones, or ambiguous. Many published studies either focus on a particular city or use documents or other evidence drawn from the top of the settlement hierarchy, characterizing the whole society politically from a biased sample. This political analysis is regional in scope and attentive to variation in the settlement hierarchy, providing a guidepost to analysis of political principles with archaeological data.

Zarela's Veracruz

Zarela's Veracruz
Author: Zarela Martinez
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2004-04
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 9780618444106

The state of Veracruz, a lush strip of land running the length of Mexico's eastern coast, is home to some of the easiest, lightest, and most varied food in Mexico's repertoire. To enjoy dishes like Seafood Salad in Avocado Halves, Garlicky Stir-Fried Shrimp, Orange-Flavored Chicken, and Mushroom Empanadas, you won't need to hunt down obscure chiles or master complicated techniques. Spanish influences evident in accessible ingredients like olive oil, olives, capers, raisins, and almonds give the state's cuisine a familiar Mediterranean character. At the same time, Veracruz's Caribbean orientation and powerful Afro-Cuban legacy offer plenty of choices for cooks who want kitchen adventure. In all, Zarela provides more than 150 choices, perfect for festive parties or ordinary suppers. Much more than a cookbook, Zarela's Veracruz is a mesmerizing travelogue and an absorbing portrait of Mexico's most exuberant state."

Pottery Economics in Mesoamerica

Pottery Economics in Mesoamerica
Author: Christopher A. Pool
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2022-08-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0816550557

Pottery is one of the most important classes of artifacts available to archaeologists and anthropologists. Every year, volumes of data are generated detailing ceramic production, distribution, and consumption. How these data can be interpreted in relation to the social and cultural framework of prehistoric societies in Mesoamerica is the subject of this book. Nine chapters written by some of the most well known and respected scholars in the field offer readers an in-depth look at key advances from the past fifteen years. These scholars examine ethnoarchaeological studies and the Preclassic/Formative, Classic, and Postclassic periods and cover geographic areas from eastern to central Mesoamerica. In a series of case studies, contributors address a range of new and developing theories and methods for inferring the technological, organizational, and social dimensions of pottery economics, and draw on a range of sociopolitical examples. Specific topics include the impacts and costs of innovations, the role of the producer in technological choices, the outcomes when errors in vessel formation are tolerated or rectified, the often undocumented multiple lives and uses of ceramic pieces, and the difficulties associated with locating and documenting ceramic production areas in tropical lowlands. A compelling collection that clearly integrates and synthesizes a wide array of data, this book is the definitive text on pottery economics in Mesoamerica and an important contribution to the fields of anthropology, archaeology, ancient history, and the economics of pre-industrial societies. CONTENTS Acknowledgments 1 . Conceptual Issues in Mesoamerican Pottery Economics Christopher A. Pool and George J. Bey III 2 . An Ethnoarchaeological Perspective on Local Ceramic Production and Distribution in the Maya Highlands Michael Deal 3 . Why Was the Potter’s Wheel Rejected? Social Choice and Technological Change in Ticul, Yucatán, Mexico Dean E. Arnold, Jill Huttar Wilson, and Alvaro L. Nieves 4 . Ceramic Production at La Joya, Veracruz: Early Formative Techno Logics and Error Loads Philip J. Arnold III 5 . Blanco Levantado: A New World Amphora George J. Bey III 6 . Pottery Production and Distribution in the Gulf Lowlands of Mesoamerica Barbara L. Stark 7 . Household Production and the Regional Economy in Ancient Oaxaca: Classic Period Perspectives from Hilltop El Palmillo and Valley-Floor Ejutla Gary M. Feinman and Linda M. Nicholas 8 . Pottery Production and Exchange in the Petexbatun Polity, Petén, Guatemala Antonia E. Foias and Ronald L. Bishop 9 . Aztec Otumba, AD 1200--1600: Patterns of the Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Ceramic Products Thomas H. Charlton, Cynthia L. Otis Charlton, Deborah L. Nichols, and Hector Neff References Cited About the Contributors Index

Polity and Ecology in Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca

Polity and Ecology in Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca
Author: Arthur A. Joyce
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2013-02-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1607322129

Encapsulating two decades of research, Polity and Ecology in Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca is the first major treatment of the lower Río Verde region of Oaxaca, investigating its social, political, and ecological history. Tracing Formative period developments from the earliest known evidence of human presence to the collapse of Río Viejo (the region's first centralized polity), the volume synthesizes the archaeological and paleoecological evidence from the valley. This period saw the earliest agricultural settlements in the region as well as the origins of sedentism and social complexity, and witnessed major changes in floodplain and coastal environments that expanded the productivity of subsistence resources. The book addresses theoretically significant questions of broad relevance such as the origins and spread of agriculture, the social negotiation of complex political formations, the effects of long-distance trade and interaction, the macroregional effects of landscape change, and prehispanic ideology and political power. Focusing on questions of interregional interaction, environmental change, and political centralization, Polity and Ecology in Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca provides a comprehensive understanding of the Formative period archaeology of this important and long neglected region of Oaxaca.

Mesoamerican Archaeology

Mesoamerican Archaeology
Author: Julia A. Hendon
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2021-03-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 111916088X

A unique and wide-ranging introduction to the major prehispanic and colonial societies of Mexico and Central America, featuring new and revised material throughout Mesoamerican Archaeology: Theory and Practice, Second Edition, provides readers with a diverse and well-balanced view of the archaeology of the indigenous societies of Mexico and Central America, helping students better understand key concepts and engage with contemporary debates and issues within the field. The fully updated second edition incorporates contemporary research that reflects new approaches and trends in Mesoamerican archaeology. New and revised chapters from first-time and returning authors cover the archaeology of Mesoamerican cultural history, from the early Gulf Coast Olmec, to the Classic and Postclassic Maya, to the cultures of Oaxaca and Central Mexico before and after colonization. Presenting a wide range of approaches that illustrate political, socio-economic, and symbolic interpretations, this textbook: Encourages students to consider diverse ways of thinking about Mesoamerica: as a linguistic area, as a geographic region, and as a network of communities of practice Represents a wide spectrum of perspectives and approaches to Mesoamerican archaeology, including coverage of the Postclassic and Colonial periods Enables readers to think critically about how explanations of the past are produced, verified, and debated Includes accessible introductory material to ensure that students and non-specialists understand the chronological and geographic frameworks of the Mesoamerican tradition Discusses recent developments in the contemporary theory and practice of Mesoamerican archaeology Presents new and original research by a team of internationally recognized contributors Mesoamerican Archaeology: Theory and Practice, Second Edition, is ideal for use in undergraduate courses on the archaeology of Mexico and Central America, as well as for broader courses on the archaeology of the Americas.