Michael T. Searcy – författare

Provides a thought-provoking ethnoarchaeological account of metate and mano manufacture, marketing, and use among Guatemalan Maya for whom these stone implements are still essential equipment in everyday life and diet.

Archaeological Structuration is a critical analysis of the theory of structuration and its utility in the study of societal development over deep time. Structuration theory was originally developed by Anthony Giddens in sociology and adopted piecemeal into archaeology. This book takes a closer look at its contributions to new materialism and develops novel ways to operationalize the theory in archaeological research in the twenty-first century. To illustrate the usefulness of structuration theory, archaeologist Michael T. Searcy deploys it to uncover new understandings of ancient societies, particularly focusing on the Casas Grandes civilization in precolonial northern Mexico. Spanning more than seven hundred years, this society exemplifies the rise of social complexity in the Western Hemisphere. Searcy reexamines previous hypotheses about major structural shifts during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries CE, providing fresh insights and updated perspectives. This book not only revisits the foundational influence of structuration theory but also introduces new methodologies to study the longue durée, the long-term historical trajectories of ancient societies. Searcy deftly bridges the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical archaeological applications, providing a thorough analysis of how structuration can address real-world problems through the lens of ancient societal transformations.

Updated and even more engaging, the fourth edition of Archaeology of the Greater Southwest is a comprehensive and readable summary of the current knowledge of the ancient U.S. Southwest and northwest Mexico.The book now has a greater coverage of the entire region, including northern Mexico, and focuses more clearly on the human story of the past. Based soundly on scholarly results and collaborations with Indigenous communities, the human experience of the peoples of the Greater Southwest are vividly presented in a way that makes them real. This new edition also highlights some of the new techniques used to scientifically explore these unique lifeways in a way that is clear and concise. The book also provides a more inclusive view of the people involved in excavating and caring for the remains of these lifeways. Evidence from newly excavated sites and reanalysis of previously excavated sites is used throughout the book to provide an up-to-date synthesis that highlights how it has transformed our knowledge of this region.Archaeology of the Greater Southwest is the ideal textbook for students studying the region and a useful reference guide for professional archaeologists

Updated and even more engaging, the fourth edition of Archaeology of the Greater Southwest is a comprehensive and readable summary of the current knowledge of the ancient U.S. Southwest and northwest Mexico.The book now has a greater coverage of the entire region, including northern Mexico, and focuses more clearly on the human story of the past. Based soundly on scholarly results and collaborations with Indigenous communities, the human experience of the peoples of the Greater Southwest are vividly presented in a way that makes them real. This new edition also highlights some of the new techniques used to scientifically explore these unique lifeways in a way that is clear and concise. The book also provides a more inclusive view of the people involved in excavating and caring for the remains of these lifeways. Evidence from newly excavated sites and reanalysis of previously excavated sites is used throughout the book to provide an up-to-date synthesis that highlights how it has transformed our knowledge of this region.Archaeology of the Greater Southwest is the ideal textbook for students studying the region and a useful reference guide for professional archaeologists