Synopses & Reviews
This presentation of the pre-contact history of Central America is an introduction and guide for visitors to the region and also illustrates hundreds of the museum's lesser-known holdings. Doris Stone spent decades working and traveling throughout Central America, from Guatemala to Panama. As Stephen Williams writes in his introduction, "her numerous journeys on mule back with Sam Lothrop and other archaeologists in pursuit of elusive sites in the Central American jungles were epic." The volume is enriched by Stone's deep first-hand knowledge of the area and its cultural past.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-226) and index.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Stephen Williams Acknowledgments
Part 1: The Mingling of Peoples
Geography and Terrain
Preceramic Evidence of Man
Archaic Cultures
The Eastern Frontier of Mesoamerica
The Evidence of History
Part 2: The Earliest Villagers
The First Pottery (2000 B.C.)
Olmec Influence (1200 B.C.)
The Earliest Maize
The Figurine Cult
Religious and Civic Architecture
The Trophy-Head Cult
The Record in Stone
The Mixture of North and South
Summary of the Preclassic Period
Part 3: The Mexican Veneer
Teotihuacan Influence (A.D. 300)
Nahuat Versus Lowland Maya
Tikal, Guatemala
Copan, Honduras
Innovations in Lower Central America
The Florescence of the Classic Period (A.D. 600-900)
The Movements of Peoples
Northern Penetration into Lower Central America
Sitio Conte, Panama
Summary of the Classic World
Part 4: Empire and Trade
The Imprint of the North
South American Influences
Cocle Culture, Panama
The Last Stages of Mesoamericanization
Postclassic Affinities in Costa Rica and Panama
Summary of the Postclassic Period
Illustrations
Credits
Chronology of Cultures
Bibliography
Index