The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica: A Reader brings together twenty-three of the most influential essays by leading scholars to reveal the rich variety of cultures and societies that existed in ancient Mesoamerica.

About the Author
Michael E. Smith is Professor of Anthropology, State University of New York at Albany. He is an archaeologist specializing in the study of the Aztecs of central Mexico, and has directed fieldwork projects at Aztec sites in the Mexican state of Morelos. He is the author of The Aztecs (Blackwell, 1996); co-author and co-editor of Aztec Imperial Strategies (with Frances Berdan et al., 1996) and co-editor of Economies and Polities in the Aztec Realm (with Mary G. Hodge, 1994).

Marilyn A. Masson is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the State University of New York at Albany. She is a Mesoamerican archaeologist currently focusing on the Postclassic period of the Maya lowlands under the auspices of the Belize Postclassic Project, formed in 1996. She is co-editor of The Belize Postclassic Project 1998: Investigations at Progresso Lagoon (1999).

Reviews
"This volume is one of a very few that deal with the whole array of civilizations in ancient Mexico and Central America. It will be a welcome companion for readers new to the astonishing achievements and daunting variety of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The editors have chosen well: the papers collected here highlight the common threads that bind Mesoamerican civilizations together, while portraying their individuality and reflecting the diversity of approaches the archaeologists bring to the task of interpreting them." John S. Henderson, Cornell University

"Access to these important articles, as a set, will quickly prove indispensable for courses - and general reading - on Mesoamerican archaeology. The editors' introductions are equally valuable and thought-provoking as they situate the individual chapters, as well as the cross-cutting themes, in a sophisticated, highly readable review of current thinking." Wendy Ashmore, University of Pennsylvania

Book Information
ISBN 9780631211167
Author Michael E. Smith
Format Paperback
Page Count 528
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 907g
Dimensions(mm) 246mm * 173mm * 31mm