Description
Keegan's ambitious historical analysis--knitting evidence from Spanish colonial documents together with data gathered from the archaeological record--provides a new perspective on the encounters between the two men as they vied for control of the settlement, a survey of the early interactions of the Tainos and Spanish people, and a complex view of the interpretive role played by historians and archaeologists. Presenting a new theoretical framework based on chaos and complexity theories, this book argues for a more comprehensive philosophy of archaeology in which oral myths, primary source texts, and archaeological studies can work together to reconstruct a particularly rich view of the past.
About the Author
William F. Keeganis curator of Caribbean Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History and professor of anthropology and Latin American studies at the University of Florida. He is the author of five books, including The People Who Discovered Columbus: The Prehistory of the Bahamas, coeditor of The Caribbean before Columbus, and editor of The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Archaeology
Reviews
A path-breaking work, rich and mature, complex but readily accessible. It unites the many facets of . . . 25 years of innovative research and leads us out of the once-irresolvable dilemmas of contemporary archaeology."--Geoffrey W. Conrad, William Hammond Mathers Museum, Indiana University
"Charts a new course toward a broader understanding of Taino society, myth, and archaeology at the dawn of the Spanish colonial period. His approach livens the archaeological record and illuminates our reading of the documentary record."--Dave D. Davis, Tulane University
Book Information
ISBN 9780813068725
Author William F. Keegan
Format Paperback
Page Count 252
Imprint University Press of Florida
Publisher University Press of Florida
Weight(grams) 333g