Departing from the political economy perspective taken by the vast majority of volumes devoted to Mesoamerican obsidian, Obsidian Reflections is an examination of obsidian's sociocultural dimensions--particularly in regard ...

Art historians and archaeologists from the US and Mexico come together to examine the nature of sacred space in Mesoamerica. Contributors explore the process of defining sacred space; how modern Western definitions differ ...

Political authority contains an inherent contradiction. Rulers must reinforce social inequality and bolster their own unique position at the top of the sociopolitical hierarchy, yet simultaneously emphasize social similarities ...

Explores the role of interregional interaction in dynamic sociocultural processes that shaped the Pre-Columbian societies of Mesoamerica. Interdisciplinary scholars examine linguistic exchange and borrowing, scribal ...

Studies on population migration in central Mexico and the Maya region among Classic, Epiclassic, and Postclassic Mesoamerican societies within the framework of urbanization and de-urbanization showing that mobility and ...

Incorporates how aspects of the natural world were imbued with deep cultural meanings and expressed by different peoples from different time periods in Mexico and Central America. Material culture, iconography, epigraphy, ...

The Early Classic period in Mesoamerica has been characterized by the appearance of Teotihuacan related material. Known for monumental architecture and dense settlement, became an urban center around 150 BC eventually ...

Ritual action produces sequences of creation, destruction, and transformation, which involve a variety of materials that are active and agential. Explores the deep history of ritual practice in Mexico and Central America ...

An examination of variable social and economic processes, Framing Complexity in Formative Mesoamerica explores nascent social complexity during the Preclassic/Formative period in Mesoamerica and addresses broader social ...