Archaeology and Its Avatars

Jorge Coronado is the director of the Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and a professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Northwestern University.Alexander Herrera Wassilowsky is a professor in the Department of Art History of the Arts and Humanities School, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia.

"Delving into Peruvian and Mexican case studies, this volume invites us to reflect on the role of archaeology in shaping the global and local imaginaries of Latin America, the multiple dimensions of knowledge circulation, and the epistemic violence established between the history of the 'people without history' and modern disciplinary regimes. Archaeology and Its Avatars is a welcome contribution to Latin American cultural history." —Javier García Liendo, Washington University in St. Louis"The essays in this multifaceted volume examine how archaeological knowledge has been lobbied within the cultural, political, and artistic imaginations and machinations of modern Peru and Mexico. The authors' diverse contributions productively complicate the afterlife of archaeology—and will surely prove thought provoking for both archaeologists and non-archaeologists alike." —Andrew James Hamilton, University of Chicago

• Introduction: Archaeology´s Avatars and the Shaping of Latin American CultureJorge Coronado and Alexander Herrera Wassilowsky1. The Nation in Ruins: Archaeology and the Rise of the NationSara Castro-Klarén 2. Ancient Maya Cities: Imagining Indigenous Ruins in Yucatan since the Sixteenth CenturyRoberto Rosado-Ramírez3. Manco Cápac beyond the Borders of the Nation: Segregation, Estrangement, and Appropriation of a Popular MonumentGabriel Ramón Joffré4. An Experience with Archaeology: Walter Benjamin and the Study of AltmexikoPeter Fenves5. The Uses of Archaeology: Cultural Consumption, Markets, and Agency in the Work of Elena Izcue Jorge Coronado6. Huaquero: Archaeology and PrecariousnessWalther Maradiegue7. Dust to Dust: NN Sin Identidad as a Cinematic Study of Forensic Archaeology in Contemporary PeruXimena Briceño8. Archaeology, Legitimacy, and Progress: Colonial Representation and Indigenismo in Andean HeraldryAlexander Herrera WassilowskyAfterword: Sea Change. Reflections of Archaeology and Its Avatars Mark HauserList of Contributors