Peoples of America – serie

This well-illustrated, concise text will serve as a benchmark study of the Nasca people and culture for years to come.

Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Chatinos: Ancient Peoples of Southern Mexico examines the origins, history, and interrelationships of the civilizations that arose and flourished in Oaxaca. Provides an up-to-date summary of the current state of research findings and archaeological evidenceUses contemporary social theory to address many key problems relating to archaeology of the Americas, including the dynamics of social life and the rise and fall of civilizationsAdds clarity to ongoing debates over cultural change and interregional interactions in ancient Mesoamerican societiesSupplemented with compelling illustrations, photographs, and line drawings of various archaeological sites and artifacts

This book provides a history and ethnography of the Cheyenne people from their prehistoric origins north of the Great Lakes to their present life in the reservations in Oklahoma. It is based on archaeological material, historical and linguistic evidence and draws vividly on the oral traditions of the Cheyenne themselves.

This vivid evocation of an ancient civilization is both enlivened and deepened by the author's sympathetic understanding of customs, rituals and myths which to modern eyes may seem both strange and terrible. It will be widely welcomed by scholars and students of South American archaeology and history, by all those curious to know more about a civilization that for thirteen centuries was largely forgotten.

Based on the latest research findings, this is the moving story of the demise of one of the oldest of the American Indian peoples.

This well-illustrated, concise text will serve as a benchmark study of the Nasca people and culture for years to come.

The Aztecs brings to life one of the best-known indigenous civilizations of the Americas in a vivid, comprehensive account of the ancient Aztecs. A thorough examination of Aztec origins and civilization including religion, science, and thoughtIncorporates the latest archaeological excavations and research into explanations of the Spanish conquest and the continuity of Aztec culture in Central MexicoExpanded coverage includes key topics such as writing, music, royal tombs, and Aztec predictions of the end of the world

The Incas is a captivating exploration of one of the greatest civilizations ever seen.  Seamlessly drawing on history, archaeology, and ethnography, this thoroughly updated new edition integrates advances made in hundreds of new studies conducted over the last decade.• Written by one of the world’s leading experts on Inca civilization• Covers Inca history, politics, economy, ideology, society, and military organization• Explores advances in research that include pre-imperial Inca society; the royal capital of Cuzco; the sacred landscape; royal estates;  Machu Picchu; provincial relations; the khipu information-recording technology; languages, time frames, gender relations, effects on human biology, and daily life• Explicitly examines how the Inca world view and philosophy affected the character of the empire• Illustrated with over 90 maps, figures, and photographs

The Tiwanaku The city of Tiwanaku lies ruined in the rugged Andean steppe of Bolivia twelve thousand feet above sea level, the highest urban settlement of the ancient world. Its wide streets open towards ramparts of glaciated mountain peaks and the intense blue waters of Lake Titicaca. Gigantic stone sculptures and shattered architectural blocks suggest profound antiquity and the passage of great events, now lost and unremembered. Here, two and a half thousand years ago, a distinct society emerged which over the course of thirteen centuries developed one of the greatest civilizations and the first empire of the ancient Americas. This book, the first published history of the Tiwanakan peoples from their origins to their present survival, is a feat of scholarly and archaeological detection undertaken and led by the author.Alan Kolata draws together the evidence of historical documents from the time of the Iberian conquest, accounts and legends of the contemporary inhabitants, and the results of extensive excavations in order to provide a narrative covering three thousand years. In doing so he addresses and explains features of Tiwanakan culture that have long puzzled scholars: the origins of their uniquely massive architecture, the nature of their sophisticated hydraulically-engineered agriculture, their obsession with decapitation and the display of severed heads, and not least the reasons for their mysterious and sudden decline at the end of the tenth century.The book is illustrated throughout with photographs, maps and drawings, and is fully referenced and indexed. Although written to appeal to the nonspecialist and assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, this is a book of scholarly import, and likely to become the standard work for many years.

This book provides a history and ethnography of the Cheyenne people from their prehistoric origins north of the Great Lakes to their present life in the reservations in Oklahoma. It is based on archaeological material, historical and linguistic evidence and draws vividly on the oral traditions of the Cheyenne themselves.

This vivid evocation of an ancient civilization is both enlivened and deepened by the author's sympathetic understanding of customs, rituals and myths which to modern eyes may seem both strange and terrible. It will be widely welcomed by scholars and students of South American archaeology and history, by all those curious to know more about a civilization that for thirteen centuries was largely forgotten.

This book covers the entire historical range of the Sioux, from their emergence as an identifiable group in late prehistory to the year 2000. The author has studied the material remains of the Sioux for many years. His expertise combined with his informative and engaging writing style and numerous photographs create a compelling and indispensable book. A leading expert discusses and analyzes the Sioux people with rigorous scholarship and remarkably clear writing.Raises questions about Sioux history while synthesizing the historical and anthropological research over a wide scope of issues and periods.Provides historical sketches, topical debates, and imaginary reconstructions to engage the reader in a deeper thinking about the Sioux.Includes dozens of photographs, comprehensive endnotes and further reading lists.