Early Mesoamerican social transformations : archaic and formative lifeways in the Soconusco region.

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 l...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full text (MCPHS users only)
Other Authors: Lesure, Richard G. (Editor)
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: Berkeley : University of California Press, 2011
Subjects:
Local Note:ProQuest Ebook Central
Description
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.
Physical Description:1 online resource (304 pages)
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9780520950566
0520950569
1283291908
9781283291903
9786613291905
6613291900
Language:English.
Source of Description, Etc. Note:Print version record.