ancient civilizations of mesoamerica

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AncientCivilizationsofMesoamericaANTH S233 ARCG S233

ProfessorOswaldoChinchillaSummer,2021oswaldo.chinchilla@yale.eduOfficehours:Byappointment.

An archaeological excavation at Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala, 2015

ThenamesMaya,Aztec,Olmecevokeimagesofancientpeopleswhobuiltenormouspyramids,createdintricateartwork,anddevisedelaboratemechanismstorecordandexplainthepassageoftimeandthemovementsoftheplanets.Theirruinedcitiesattractmillionsofvisitors,whowonderabouttheirbygonesplendor,probetheremainsoftheircreators,andsearchforhiddenknowledgeinthehieroglyphicinscriptions.However,thesuperlativesthatareoftenappliedtoancientMesoamericanpeoplesmaskamisunderstandingoftheirtrueachievements.Mesoamericawasoneofthefewregionsoftheworldwherehumansocietiescreatedacomplexcivilizationwithoutsubstantialcontactwithotherregions.Assuch,itprovidesanimportantmodelforthestudyofthewaysinwhichsocietiesdevelopedsettledlifewaysandagriculture,socialstratification,writingandcalendars,citiesandempires.Morethanacenturyofresearchhasrevealedawealthofinformationabouttheseancientpeoples,generatingscientificexplanationsoftheeconomic,socialandculturalprocessesthatshapedtheirlifeandculture.ThiscourseexplorestheculturehistoryofMesoamerica,withemphasisoncurrentdebatesandqueries.Studentswillbeintroducedtonewdiscoveries,theoreticalandmethodologicalinsights,andadvancesintheinterpretationofwritingandsymbolicsystemsthatchallengetraditionalinterpretations.ThecoursealsoexploresthelinkswithcontemporarypeoplesofMexicoandCentralAmerica,whopreservesignificantaspectsofancientMesoamericanculturaltraditions.RequirementsSummariesbasedonreadingassignments:30%(6summaries,5%each)DigitalMesoamericapresentation:10%Specialtopicpresentation:10%Participationinclass:20%Termpaper:30%

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ReadingSummaries:Thereadingsummarieswillbebasedonthetextbookchaptersindicatedinthesyllabus.Thesummariesshouldbeonesingle-spacedpagelongandshouldnotsimplycopyandpastephrasesfromreadings.Studentsshouldattempttosummarizethecontentandpickouttheimportantconcepts.Theresponseswillnotbegradedforwritingandgrammarbutmustdemonstrateyoucarefullyreadeachreading.SummariesdueeveryotherclassbeginningonFriday,June11.SpecialTopicPresentationsLeada15-minutediscussionbasedonaspecialtopicreading.Alistoftopicsandsourceswillbeprovided.Allstudentsmustreadtheassignedsourcesandbereadytodiscussthem.DigitalMesoamericaPresentationsSelectadigitalresourceavailableonlineandpreparetoexplainittotheclassandleadthediscussionaboutit.Alistoftopicswillbeprovided.TermPaperThetermpaperswillbebasedonbibliographicresearchaboutspecifictopicsrelatedtothecourse.Topicsmustbeapprovedbytheinstructorbythethirdweekofclass.Requiredlength:3000words.Attendanceandparticipationinallclasssessionsisrequired.Appropriatejustificationmustbesubmittedincaseofabsence.AcademicIntegrityAcademicintegrityisacoreinstitutionalvalueatYale.Itmeans,amongotherthings,truthinpresentation,diligenceandprecisionincitingworksandideaswehaveused,andacknowledgingourcollaborationswithothers.Inviewofourcommitmenttomaintainingthehigheststandardsofacademicintegrity,theYaleCollegeProgramsofStudyspecificallyprohibitthefollowingformsofbehavior:cheatingonexaminations,problemsetsandallotherformsofassessment;falsificationand/orfabricationofdata;plagiarism,thatis,thefailuretoacknowledgeideas,research,orlanguagetakenfromothers;andmultiplesubmissionofthesameworkwithoutobtainingexplicitwrittenpermissionfrombothinstructorsbeforethematerialissubmitted.SeeYaleCollegeUndergraduateRegulations:http://catalog.yale.edu/undergraduate-regulations/policies/definitions-plagiarism-cheating/Studentsfoundguiltyofviolationsofacademicintegrityaresubjecttooneormoreofthefollowingpenalties:writtenreprimand,probation,suspension(notedonastudent’stranscript)ordismissal(notedonastudent’stranscript).

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Requiredtextbook:Coe,MichaelD.,JavierUrcid,andRexKoontz(2019)Mexico:FromtheOlmectotheAztec.Thames&Hudson,London.Additionalbooksectionsandarticleswillbeprovided.Recommended:Coe,MichaelD.(2011)TheMaya.Eighthedition.Thames&Hudson,London.Hendon,JuliaA.,andRosemaryA.Joyce(2004)Mesoamericanarchaeology:Theoryandpractice.BlackwellPublishing,Malden,Massachusetts.Blake,Michael(2015)MaizefortheGods:Unearthingthe9,000-YearHistoryofCorn.UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Oakland.PreliminaryclassscheduleWeek1 Introduction

Mesoamericanlifeways Earlysettlements

AgriculturaloriginsandthedomesticationofmaizeTransportationandtradeLithictechnologiesMetallurgyLanguagesandethnicitiesSpecialtopics Thedomesticationofmaize Earlymonumentality

Week2 Mesoamericansocieties Citiesandurbanlife

SocialstratificationTributaryandmarketeconomiesThequestionofslaveryPoliticalinteractionWarfareSpecialtopics ClassicMayakings UrbanlifeatTeotihuacan

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Week3 Arts,writing,andReligion Architecture,sculpture,andmuralpainting

Pottery,figurines,lapidaryMusicandperformanceWritingsystemsandthecalendarReligionandthegodsHumansacrificeSpecialtopics Thecodices TheAzteccalendarstone

Week4 HistoryofMesoamericancivilizations TheOlmec

PreclassicMayaMonteAlbánandOaxacancivilizationsTeotihuacanClassicMayacivilizationEpiclassicandEarlyPostclassiccitiesTheAztecempireSpecialtopics FindingaZapotectomb LiDARsurveyintheMayaLowlands

Week5 TheSpanishinvasionanditsaftermath Conquestorinvasion?

MesoamericanconquerorsTheSpanishcolonialsystemModernMesoamericancommunitiesStudentprojectpresentationsSpecialtopics ThePopolVuh Indigenousconquerors