Reviews Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and Culture History By Susan Toby Evans (Thames & Hudson, 2004; 608 pgs., illus., $70 cloth; www.thamesandhudson.com)
In Ancient Mexico & Central America, Susan Toby Evans has produced a monumental sur vey of the prehistoric cultures of Mesoamerica, the region between nor th-central Mexico and Costa Rica. The Olmec, Maya, Toltec, Aztec, and others produced the most sophisticated cultures of the New World, rivaling in many ways those of Europe and China, only to fall to the invading Spaniards in 1521. Over the past 50 years, archaeologists have made giant strides in understanding these great cultures. They have decoded much of the writing and iconography. Calendrics and numbers have been figured out. Economies and trade are better understood. Complex politics and religions are being unraveled. Numerous excavations in the jungles and arid plateaus have yielded mountains of new information. Evans, a professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, has brought all of this knowledge together in this wonderfully produced volume. Writing in a flowing narrative that avoids technical terminology, the author tells the stor y of Mesoamerican civilization. There are 459 illustrations, 80 in color, to supplement the text. Numerous timelines, charts, and maps keep the reader in context. Many of the most important sites, like La Venta, Monte Albán, Teotihuacán, Palenque, and Tenochtitlan, are explored in depth from their earliest origins to their fall. Thirty-three specific topics, including colossal stone heads, the ball game, metalworking, and child-raising, are explored in special boxed features. Ancient Mexico & Central America contains so much information it might overwhelm the casual reader, but instead it is organized in such a friendly manner that it is a pleasure to read and easy to understand. The publisher, Thames and Hudson, has produced an outstanding series of books on archaeology suitable for the interested layperson. This may well be the best so far.
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Early Art of the Southeastern Indians: Feathered Serpents & Winged Beings By Susan C. Power (University of Georgia Press, 2004; 288 pgs., illus., $40 cloth; www.ugapress.org)
The prehistoric people of the southeastern United States produced some of the richest and most sophisticated Native art. Cultures we know as Mississippian, Caddo, Hopewell, Adena, and Poverty Point thrived in the eastern Woodlands and collected exotic materials from great distances to turn into elaborate works of art. Author Susan C. Power, a professor of art at Marshall University, traces the development of this rich artistic tradition from its origins in the archaic period some 6,000 years ago to the European conquest. We are introduced to an extraordinary assemblage of objects described and pictured, many in color, in this tome. Some are clearly ceremonial, others probably functional, including pipes, figurines, ceramics, beads, and copper objects. Of course, perishable items are rare, which skews our sample. The most complex works according to Power were linked to powerful leaders (mostly male) who wore bold ensembles consisting of symbolic colors, sacred media, and complex designs. Four large ceremonial centers are the focus of much of this art—Etowah in Georgia, Spiro in eastern Oklahoma, Cahokia near St. Louis, and Moundville in Alabama. Early Art of the Southeastern Indians is a visual journey through time that demonstrates the exemplary abilities of master artists and craftsmen. Their remarkable achievements delight the senses and give us a brief glimpse into their symbolic world. fall • 2004
