Overview

Aquatic Adaptations in Mesoamerica explores the subsistence strategies that ancient Mesoamericans implemented to survive and thrive in their environments. It discusses the natural settings, production sites, techniques, artifacts, cultural landscapes, traditional knowledge, and other features linked to human subsistence in aquatic environments. The study is based on analyses of fishing, hunting, gathering, and manufacture (among other activities), all of which were integral elements of aquatic lifeways. In addition to the aquatic lifeways themselves, salt-making, and intensive agriculture developed and practiced in lakes and marshes are also examined. The study adopts a perspective based on ethnoarchaeology and ethnohistory, complemented by archaeological field data.

Full Product Details

Author:   Eduardo Williams (Full Professor, Centro de Estudios arqueológicos, El Colegio de Michoacán, Zamora, Mich. Mexico)
Publisher:   Archaeopress
Imprint:   Archaeopress
Weight:   1.036kg
ISBN:  

9781789699111

ISBN 10:   1789699118
Pages:   280
Publication Date:   11 August 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface ; Chapter I: Introduction ; The Mesoamerican Aquatic Lifeway ; Ethnoarchaeology ; Ethnohistory ; Aquatic Adaptations in Mesoamerica ; Archaeological Implications ; Content and Structure of this Book ; Chapter II: The Aquatic Lifeway in Michoacán: Natural Resources and Subsistence Activities ; Ethnohistorical Information on Aquatic Subsistence in Michoacán ; Ethnographic Analysis and Archaeological Interpretation ; The Natural Environment of the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin ; Ethnographic Information on Subsistence Activities in the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin ; Subsistence Activities in Aquatic Contexts: Archaeological Markers ; Final remarks ; Chapter III: Salt Production in Mesoamerica: Tool Assemblages and Cultural Landscapes ; Nutrition ; Food Preservation ; Salt Production in Mesoamerica ; The Basin of Mexico ; The Salt-Making Tool Assemblage ; The Salt-Making Landscape ; Final Remarks ; Chapter IV: Aquatic Subsistence in Central Mexico ; The Basin of Mexico ; The Alto Lerma Basin ; Final Remarks ; Chapter V: Aquatic Subsistence in the Maya Area ; The Maya Highlands ; The Maya Lowlands ; Pre-Hispanic Cities and Agriculture in the Maya Area ; Maya Cities of the Classic Period ; Intensive Agriculture among the Ancient Maya ; Final Remarks ; Chapter VI: Discussion and Conclusions ; Challenges for Future Research ; References

Reviews

'This is a monumental contribution… This pioneering work will stand and endure as a landmark publication, an inspiration for future studies of this sort in Mexico and in other parts of the world...' - Jeffrey R. Parsons, University of Michigan

'This is a monumental contribution… This pioneering work will stand and endure as a landmark publication, an inspiration for future studies of this sort in Mexico and in other parts of the world...' - Jeffrey R. Parsons, University of Michigan ‘I am convinced this book will become an instant classic on the subject and it will be referenced in future articles in this journal. The style is informative for students of anthropology, geography, and related disciplines like sustainable engineering. Followers of Lo-TEK (Traditional Environmental Knowledge) will find here excellent source material and ideas to further recover and adapt traditional ways.’ – Ramón Folch González (2023): Ethnoarchaeology, DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2023.2184909

'This is a monumental contribution... This pioneering work will stand and endure as a landmark publication, an inspiration for future studies of this sort in Mexico and in other parts of the world...' - Jeffrey R. Parsons, University of Michigan

Author Information

Eduardo Williams obtained his Ph.D. from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, in 1989. He joined the faculty of the Colegio de Michoacán (Zamora, Mexico) in 1990, where he holds the post of Professor in the Center for Archaeological Research. He has published several books, including La sal de la tierra (2003, winner of the Alfonso Caso Prize awarded by the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History), and Ancient West Mexico in the Mesoamerican Ecumene (Archaeopress, 2020). Professor Williams has been a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences since 2002.

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