Michael Smith

At Home with the Aztecs (eBook, PDF)

An Archaeologist Uncovers Their Daily Life

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

At Home with the Aztecs provides a fresh view of Aztec society, focusing on households and communities instead of kings, pyramids, and human sacrifice. This new approach offers an opportunity to humanize the Aztecs, moving past the popular stereotype of sacrificial maniacs to demonstrate that these were successful and prosperous communities. Michael Smith also engagingly describes the scientific, logistic and personal dimensions of archaeological fieldwork, drawing on decades of excavating experience and considering how his research was affected by his interaction with contemporary Mexican communities. Through first-hand accounts of the ways archaeologists interpret sites and artifacts, the book illuminates how the archaeological process can provide information about ancient families. Facilitating a richer understanding of the Aztec world, Smith's research also redefines success, prosperity and resilience in ancient societies, making this book suitable not only for those interested in the Aztecs but in the examination of complex societies in general.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Taylor & Francis
• Seitenzahl: 158
• Erscheinungstermin: 22. Februar 2016
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781317328254
• Artikelnr.: 44782865

Autorenporträt

Michael E. Smith is one of the leading international authorities on the Aztecs, with extensive experience excavating at Aztec sites. He is currently a Professor of Archaeology in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.

Inhaltsangabe

Chapter 1. Rusty Nails, Stone Walls and a Drum
The Aztecs: Bloodthirsty Savages or Just Regular Folks?
Who Were the Aztecs, Anyway?
Aztec Families and Households
Aztec Communities
My Journey to Aztec Households and Communities
Chapter 2. The Discovery of Aztec Peasants
The Invisible Aztec Peasant
Background to the Fieldwork
Getting into the Field
Digging Houses at Capilco
More Houses at Cuexcomate
"Any Idiot Knows These Walls were Foundations for Adobe Bricks!"
The Village of Tetlama
Where are all the Bodies?
Celebrating the End of the World
Farming the Hillsides
The Rainy Season Begins and the Excavation Ends
Chapter 3. Reconstructing Daily Life
Our Lab in the Emperor Maximilian's Stable
Hand-Made Tortillas
The Artifacts of Daily Life
Access to Markets
The Hidden Realm of Domestic Ritual
Rich and Poor
Changes in Rural Society
Chapter 4. A High Quality of Life
Wealthy Households
Household Choice and the Diversity of Goods
External Social Networks
Aztec Summer Camp
The Mexica Imperial Protection Racket
The One Percent and the Ninety-Nine Percent
Successful Rural Households
Chapter 5. Excavations in an Urban Community
Urban Survey: Knocking on Doors and Being Chased by Dogs
The Site is Invaded by a Squatters Settlement
We Excavate Anyway
An Elite Residence
Burial of the Dead
Irrigation and Urban Agriculture
Excavation in the Churchyard
Chapter 6. Urban Life
Daily Life
Our Laboratory in Yautepec
Flutes, Whistles, and Rattles
Obsidian Workshops
Scientific Studies of Trade
Life in the Big City
Cortés and the Spanish Conquest
Chapter 7. Resilient Communities
What is a Community?
The Calpolli: Key to Community Success
Responsive Local Government: The City-State
Chapter 8. Lessons From the Dirt
A New View of Aztec Society
Why were these Households and Communities Successful?
Sustainable Smallholder Agriculture
A New Archaeology of Households and Communities
The Aztecs and the Urban Revolution
Lessons for Communities Today