Archaeology in Latin America

by Alberti; Benjamin

• ISBN13: 9780415133081
• ISBN10: 0415133084
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-01-24
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The archaeology of Latin America contains many unique features, both in focus and approach. This pioneering and comprehensive survey is the first overview of current themes in Latin American archaeology written solely by scholars native to the region, making their collective expertise available to an English-speaking audience. The contributors cover the most significant issues in the archaeology of Latin America, such as the domestication of camelids, the emergence of urban society in Mesoamerica, the frontier of the Inca empire, and the relatively little known archaeology of the Amazon basin. Further subjects covered include hunter-gatherer studies, the political implications of the history of archaeology in Brazil, and the French theoretical influence on the region. The book also presents an account of Latin American social archaeology, probably the region's best-known theoretical product. written solely by academics native to the region, and it makes their collected expertise available to anEnglish-speaking audience for the firsttime. The contributors cover the most significant issues in the archaeology of Latin America, such as the domestication of camelids, the emergence of urban society in Mesoamerica, the frontier of the Inca empire, and the relatively little known archaeology of the Amazon basin.

Author Biography

Gustavo G. Politis is Professor at the Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, and at the Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Argentina Benjamin Alberti is Visiting Lecturer at the Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Table of Contents

List of figures	vii
List of tables	x
List of contributors	xi
Preface	xiii
Introduction: Latin American Archaeology: An Inside View	1	(14)
Gustavo G. Politis
Part One History and theory: the development of contemporary archaeology in Latin America	15	(76)
Brazilian Archaeology: A Reappraisal	17	(21)
Pedro Paulo A. Funari
Some Aspects of the French Influence Upon Uruguayan and Brazilian Archaeology	38	(21)
Jose M. Lopez Mazz
Archaeology as a Social Science: Its Expression in Latin America	59	(17)
Iraida Vargas Arenas
Mario Sanoja
The Archaeology of Hunter-Gatherers in South America: Recent History and New Directions	76	(15)
Jose Luis Lanata
Luis Alberto Borrero
Part Two Key issues in Latin American archaeology	91	(92)
The Emergence of Complex Urban Societies in Central Mexico: The Case of Teotihuacan	93	(37)
Linda Manzanilla
The Domestication of Andean Camelids	130	(18)
Duccio Bonavia
Early Modes of Life of the Indigenous Population of Northeastern Venezuela	148	(19)
Mario Sanoja
Iraida Vargas Arenas
Tawantinsuyu: The Frontiers of the Inca Empire	167	(16)
Rodolfo Raffino
Ruben Stehberg
Part Three New directions	183	(88)
The Archaeological Culture of San Agustin: Towards a New Interpretation	185	(31)
Cesar Velandia
Changing Perspectives in Amazonian Archaeology	216	(28)
Eduardo G. Neves
Pre-Columbian Metallurgy and Social Change: Two Case Studies From Colombia	244	(14)
Carl Henrik Langeback R.
Archaeology and Historical Multivocality: A Reelection from the Colombian Multicultural Context	258	(13)
Cristobal Gnecco
Index	271