Reviews Casas Grandes and Its Hinterland
Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans By James C. Chatters (Simon & Schuster, 2001; 303 pgs., illus., $26 cloth; 800-223-2348) Forensic anthropolgist James Chatters tells his story of the discovery and examination of the famous skeleton found at Kennewick, Washington, on the banks of the Columbia River in 1996. After careful examination, Chatters concluded the remains, radiocarbon dated to 9,500 years ago, are Caucasoid. He gives a riveting account of the ensuing legal battle with local tribes over the bones, and makes a strong case for continuing this research in the interest of our common humanity.
48
Ancient Pioneers: The First Americans
By Michael E. Whalen and Paul E. Minnis
By George E. Stuart
(University of Arizona Press, 2001; 250 pgs., illus., $45 cloth; 800-426-3797)
(National Geographic Society, 2001; 199 pgs., illus., $12 paper, $20 cloth, $4 shipping; mail order only at 800-647-5463)
One hundred thirty miles south of the United States border, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, lie the ruins of the impressive prehistoric town of Casas Grandes (Great Houses) or Paquimé. From about A.D. 1300 to 1450, it was probably the largest and grandest town in the entire Southwest. Extensive excavations at the core site from 1958 to 1961 by Charles Di Peso revealed a well-engineered water system and massive Pueblo-style roomblocks, as well as Mesoamerican-style ballcourts and platform mounds. Exotic trade goods like copper bells and macaws were abundant. Di Peso interpreted all this to mean that Casas Grandes was a Mesoamerican outpost on the edge of Mexican civilization, complete with ruling elites and a stratified social system. In this book,Whalen and Minnis, archaeologists at the universities of Tulsa and Oklahoma respectively, offer an insightful challenge to Di Peso’s interpretation. Armed with new data, they see a much less centralized and stratified polity. Instead of a foreign outpost, Casas Grandes rests squarely in the cultural tradition of the greater Southwest in general and northern Chihuahua in particular, albeit with Mesoamerican touches.Whalen and Minnis see it as a society of intermediate complexity that lacked well-defined power structures.The outlying settlements were influenced by central Casas Grandes, but not ruled by it. When compared to the work done at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, research in the Casas Grandes region is still in its infancy. But in Casas Grandes and Its Hinterland,Whalen and Minnis have made an outstanding contribution to our understanding of this intriguing culture.
If you're looking for a readable, general introduction to American archaeology that is beautifully illustrated by the renowned photographers and illustrators of National Geographic, this is it. George Stuart, longtime staff archaeologist at the National Geographic Society and president of the Center for Maya Research, has written a book for the beginner that should interest most anyone. From the frozen Arctic to the steaming jungles of Central America to the Andes and beyond, Stuart tells the incredible stories of these regions and the cultures they produced—Ice Age nomads, Anasazi, Moundbuilders, hunters and fishermen, Maya and Aztec. He also introduces us to the techniques of modern archaeology and explains how investigators are unraveling the many mysteries of ancient America. Inspiring photographs capture the panoramic vistas that set the stage for human occupation and struggle. Lavish illustrations recreate the lives of real people at work. Striking photos dramatize the artifacts of past cultures, ranging from 10,000-yearold spear points to elaborate Moche gold jewelry. Ancient Pioneers is one of the best introductions to American archaeology ever produced. —Mark Michel
fall • 2001
