Ancient West Mexicos e-bog

The ancient societies of western Mexico have long been understudied and misunderstood. Focusing on recent archaeological data, Ancient West Mexicos highlights the diversity and complexity of the region's pre-Columbian cultures and argues that western Mexico was more similar to the rest of the Mesoamerican world than many researchers have believed. Chapters that treat investigations in Durango, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Aguascalientes, and Michoacn draw on new evidence dating from across millennia, spanning different periods in Mesoamerican history. Contributors analyze materials including ceramics, architectural remains, textiles, and weaving tools to discern the settlement patterns, political structures, and cosmologies of the people who lived at these sites. Featuring intriguing case studies that point to unexpected pathways to sociopolitical complexity in ancient societies, these essays illustrate that the region's archaeological record can contribute meaningfully to a more nuanced picture of Mesoamerica as a whole. Contributors: Laura Almendros Lpez | Christopher S. Beekman | Mijaely Castan | Fabio Germn Cupul-Magaa | Manuel Dueas Garca | Joshua D. Englehardt | Rafael Garca de Quevedo-Machain | Verenice Y. Heredia Espinoza | Erika Ibarra | Stephen A. Kowalewski | Martha Lorenza Lpez Mestas Camberos | Michael Mathiowetz | Joseph B. Mountjoy | David Muiz Garca | M. Nicols Caretta | Jos Luis Punzo Daz | Diego Rangel | Kimberly Sumano Ortega | Jess Zarco