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ancient civilizations of mesoamerica

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1 Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica ANTH S233 ARCG S233 Professor Oswaldo Chinchilla Summer, 2021 [email protected] Office hours: By appointment. An archaeological excavation at Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala, 2015 The names Maya, Aztec, Olmec evoke images of ancient peoples who built enormous pyramids, created intricate artwork, and devised elaborate mechanisms to record and explain the passage of time and the movements of the planets. Their ruined cities attract millions of visitors, who wonder about their bygone splendor, probe the remains of their creators, and search for hidden knowledge in the hieroglyphic inscriptions. However, the superlatives that are often applied to ancient Mesoamerican peoples mask a misunderstanding of their true achievements. Mesoamerica was one of the few regions of the world where human societies created a complex civilization without substantial contact with other regions. As such, it provides an important model for the study of the ways in which societies developed settled lifeways and agriculture, social stratification, writing and calendars, cities and empires. More than a century of research has revealed a wealth of information about these ancient peoples, generating scientific explanations of the economic, social and cultural processes that shaped their life and culture. This course explores the culture history of Mesoamerica, with emphasis on current debates and queries. Students will be introduced to new discoveries, theoretical and methodological insights, and advances in the interpretation of writing and symbolic systems that challenge traditional interpretations. The course also explores the links with contemporary peoples of Mexico and Central America, who preserve significant aspects of ancient Mesoamerican cultural traditions. Requirements Summaries based on reading assignments: 30% (6 summaries, 5% each) Digital Mesoamerica presentation: 10% Special topic presentation: 10% Participation in class: 20% Term paper: 30%

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Page 1: Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica

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AncientCivilizationsofMesoamericaANTH S233 ARCG S233

ProfessorOswaldoChinchillaSummer,[email protected]: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


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