Synopses & Reviews
In this revised edition of Prehistoric Mesoamerica, Richard E. W. Adams updates his widely adopted text with material from recent archaeological fieldwork to present a balanced summary and overview of the region that is today Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. Following an introduction to Mesoamerican studies, a brief geographic sketch of the region, and a summary of the major features of its civilizations, Adams examines in detail each period of cultural history: the first immigrants; the Olmec and their contemporaries; Maya beginnings and classic civilization; the great cities of Teotihuacan and Monte Alban; the rise and fall of the Toltec; and the civilizations of the Tarascans, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Totonacs, and Aztecs.
About the Author
Richard E. W. Adams has conducted more than forty years of fieldwork in Mesoamerican archaeology and has authored or edited fourteen books on the subject. He is Ashbel Smith Professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas, San Antonio.