Product Description
The music of the peoples of South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean has never received a comprehensive treatment in English until this multi-volume work. Taking a sociocultural and human-centered approach, Music in Latin America and the Caribbean gathers the best scholarship from writers all over the world to cover in depth the musical legacies of indigenous peoples, creoles, African descendants, Iberian colonizers, and other immigrant groups that met and mixed in the New World. Within a history marked by cultural encounters and dislocations, music emerges as the powerful tool that negotiates identities, enacts resistance, performs belief, and challenges received aesthetics. This work, more than two decades in the making, was conceived as part of "The Universe of Music: A History" project, initiated by and developed in cooperation with the International Music Council, with the goals of empowering Latin Americans and Caribbeans to shape their own musical history and emphasizing the role that music plays in human life. The four volumes that constitute this work are structured as parts of a single conception and gather 150 contributions by more than 100 distinguished scholars representing 36 countries. Volume 1, Performing Beliefs: Indigenous Cultures of South America, Central America, and Mexico, focuses on the inextricable relationships between worldviews and musical experience in the current practices of indigenous groups. Worldviews are built into, among other things, how music is organized and performed, how musical instruments are constructed and when they are played, choreographic formations, the structure of songs, the assignment of gender to instruments, and ritual patterns. Two CDs with 44 recorded examples illustrate the contributions to this rich volume. ... Read more

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Blood and Beauty brings together a diverse, prestigious group of contributors to debate this charged topic in an open, critical and frank interchange. Authors specializing in the anthropology, archaeology, art history, and linguistics of Mesoamerica and Central America bring new data and interpretive strategies to bear on the nature of institutional violence in these ancient societies. The volume covers a broad time frame, from circa 1200 B.C.E. to the sixteenth century, including recent ethnography. The volume endeavors to contextualize violence and violent acts within the matrix of indigenous thought and culture. Chapter topics reflect that desire, including localized, culturally specific, examinations of warfare, sacrifice, ballgames, boxing, pain, and healing. While there is no overarching theoretical perspective, the contributors are sensitive to current theoretical discourse in the field, including recent perspectives on organized violence and the agency of artworks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bloody but Beautiful
An important contribution to New World archaeology.A worthy successor to The Mesoamerican Ballgame and The Sport of Life and Death. Despite Taube and Zender's ambiguity as to what is and is not a ballgame or a boxing contest, this collection of essays is a valuable tool in understanding ancient Mesoamerica. ... Read more

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This illustrated study guides the reader through the long history of Mesoamerican mask-making. It explores many themes associated with one of the least understood yet fascinating religious and mythological traditions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Design
The book is wonderful, but Amazon, you've got your information wrong. Joseph Campbell didn't design this. He wrote the Introduction. Why do I know this? I designed the book and won an award for it. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful linguistic approach to history
This book is a must for anyone interested in the processes of change within the central indian communities after the arrival of the Spaniards. Two elements stand out: the author's enthralling prose and his meticulous analysis of linguistic changes and his ability to tie them in to broader cultural/historical changes. ... Read more

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Agriculture in Canada. History of agriculture, Classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Canada Agriculture Museum, Manitoba Agricultural Museum, Ross Farm Museum, Central Experimental Farm, Ontario Agricultural Museum, Canadian Grain Commission, Canadian Wheat Board, National Farm Products Council, Crow Rate, Western Economic Diversification Canada, List of countries by GDP sector composition, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, Pesticides in Canada ... Read more

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This book is a vivid and comprehensive account of the Aztecs, the best-known people of pre-Columbian America. It examines their origins, civilization, and the distinctive realms of their religion, science and thought. It describes the conquest of their empire by the Spanish, and their present-day survival in Central Mexico. It makes use of the results of the latest excavations, of all available historical documentation, and of the author's first-hand knowledge of Aztec sites and artifacts.

Aztec civilization was forged by the blending of two different cultural traditions: the ancient agricultural civilizations of Central Mexico and the immigrant warrior tribes from the northern deserts. Michael Smith describes the Aztecs' rapid ascent to regional power. He shows how, in order to feed their several million people, they transformed the landscape - digging canals, draining swamps, and terracing hillsides. From the fruits of these labors sprang craft specialists whose technological and design skills supplied goods for the market-places of every city, town, and village.

The author uses new evidence to reconsider the luxurious lifestyles of the nobility and the role of their castles as seats of government for the empire's city-states. He reinterprets the role of religion in imperial rule and daily life and, in explaining the Aztecs' frequent rituals of human sacrifice, shows how central these were to the workings of their society.

The concluding chapters of the book describe the arrival of Cortés in 1519, his conquest of the empire, and the spread of European diseases which decimated the population and brought the Aztec civilization to an end. Yet the Aztec people and language survived, and form, as the author reveals, a vital part of contemporary Mexican culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

This book is keen!!!
I've read a few books on Aztecs and this one is somewhat unique in that in addition to using textual sources, it gives a good deal of focus to the archaeolgical record as well. This perspective gives a fuller view of Aztec society as a whole, and illuminates the lives of commoners as well as those of nobles. This perspective, along with Smith's expertly and well written explanation of the Archaeology behind this perspective is fascinating.That is why this book is so keen.Also the pics are pretty nifty as well.

Excellent Overview
This is an excellent summary book on Aztec civilization.Well organized and written clearly, this book is distinguished from prior overviews by its integration of archaelogical information that has permitted some understanding of the life of the majority of Aztec commoners.Smith covers Aztec history, the physical and ecological basis of their society, agriculture and economy, art and religion, and the organization of Aztec polities.The book is illustrated well.This is definitely the best single book I have read on this topic and has an excellent bibliography for those wishing to pursue the literature in depth.This book is part of the Peoples of America series published by Blackwell.I've read another book in this series, The Incas by D'Altroy, which is first rate.The publishers deserve a pat on the back for producing this highly informative series.

Informative
A most excellent book for the unlearned of this subject and the learned. In depth and precise. It is illustrated to inform. It is objective but it is biased towards the mainstream thinking of of what we are all taught in school of how civilisations 'must' have started. Albeit a thoroughly engrossing book.

A very readable introduction to the Aztecs
I'm an engineer, not a historian or archeologist, yet I very much enjoyed this book.It didn't get boring, and made learning about the life of the Aztecs interesting.It was scholarly yet accessible.

Excellent Well Organized Introduction
This Book is well organized, illustrated and written. The various aspects of Aztec Civilization and History are organized into seperate Chapters, making this Book both, a good Introduction and Reference Book. A look atthe Bibliography reaveals all the right sources. Scholarly, yet accessible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Great Reference Work
When I first saw a Maya monolith, at Altun Ha, in Belize, I was dumb-struck, fascinated, completely hooked, and I stood there, staring, for quite a while.Eventually, one of the park guides came up to me and said, "Read The Blood of Kings."That was it; read this book.When I got home, I ordered the book and read it, but the interesting thing is that, now that I've read dozens of books on the Maya, the Olmec, and the other Mesoamerican cultures, I still go back to The Blood of Kings.The photos are excellent, and the explanations are well-supported. It's a fabulous source for anyone hungry for solid information on the Maya.

The ultimate scientific book on the Maya
Although published back in 1985, this is one of the best ever written books about the Maya. Anyone who sets a price for his/her attitude towards true knowledge will find this jewel of a book as astonishing as its pictures. Linda Schele unveils the secrets of Maya life, as deciphered by tens of scholars before her, and sets her own trademark as well. Definitely not for those who still wander through the fantasies of extra-terrestrial connections, but for those who study history as a living process, a result of historical and geographical circumstances. Enjoy!

Looks like we got it all wrong
When I went through school the Maya were peace loving agriculturists that invented a lot of neat stuff, especially in astronomy and calendars. We even looked at some of the writing. To bad we did not look a little closer.

Look at the cover of the book ad you will see a Mayan pulling a rope with knots in it through his tongue. The also had plenty of blood thirsty rituals and rivalries with neighboring Mayans. Their underworld is a place full of farts.

I bought this book as part of an exhibit at Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth. I am still a member.

The book its self is oversized and has lots of glossy pictures. There are a lot of good references to other books and articles on the Myna.

After reading this book and getting a good overview of what Maya really is, you may want to find some of their writing "Popol Vuh : The Definitive Edition Of The Mayan Book Of The Dawn Of Life And The Glories Of" by Dennis Tedlock.

Great articles and fabulous photographs and drawings
It is nearly twenty years since this book was published in 1986 as part of an exhibition at the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas during the Texas Sesquicentennial.This book was and remains a triumph.We still mourn the loss of Linda Schele and are grateful the Mary Ellen Miller continues her work and teaching at Yale.

The book makes clear the Mayan Kings were not Emperors.They were rulers of city-states that competed with one another.They also had a spiritual role in the life of those they ruled.This book discusses how one became a Mayan King, life in the court, the role of bloodletting and visions (hallucinations?), warfare and human sacrifice, the all-important ballgame, the Mayan concept of afterlife and Xibalba, and the Mayan view of the cosmos.All fascinating topics and the articles are written quite well.I find them to be a captivating read.

The selection of images for the book is fabulous.This book can make a wonderful coffee table book, they are that beautiful.However, the articles are far superior to most books you find on coffee tables.I remember seeing Maya Blue (the shade that the Mayans painted on a great many of the monuments and sculptures) for the first time in this book.Having seen it in person since then I can tell you the shade is captured very faithfully in the photographs in this book.

Much has been written since 1986 and new discoveries and new examinations of existing discoveries deepen our understanding of the Maya.But this book still stands strong and valuable.It is not too technical for the general reader and still has value for the student.I am glad to have my copy on a shelf of favorite books.

Required Reading for the Maya Enthusiast
Mary Ellen Miller and the late Linda Schele put this book together in 1986.The field of Mayan studies is a fast-moving arena, and Mayanists already know a lot more now than they did when this book came out, but in my opinion this book is still the place to start if you want to begin learning about the Maya.

For one thing, the photography of the artwork is fantastic - the book is worth acquiring for that alone.Secondly, the commentary is by the greatest names in the field, including an introduction by Michael Coe.Thirdly, the book never strays from academic discipline, unlike a great deal of New Agey-type material written about the Maya.In fact, the book studiously avoids making any observations that cannot be substantiated - perhaps a reaction in the field of Mayan studies against the sometimes too pat assumptions that Eric Thompson made when he dominated the subject.Fourthly, it covers all the major cultural features of the Maya, providing abundant commentary on each piece of art portrayed.Last but not least, it tackles the thorny subject of Maya iconography.This is a field about which we already know a great deal more about now than we knew in 1986, but in fact if the book were written today there is probably very little that would actually be changed.

The book was printed in Japan, for some reason.No harm in that - the Japanese have a tradition, and a reputation, of producing quality bindings and excellent photographic reproductions, both of which are evident in this edition and which add to the quality of the book.I can't recommend it too highly to anyone interested in the Maya. ... Read more

Product Description
This book deals with the perennial tensions between ethnic groups and the modern nation-state and does so from the perspective of a leading Mexican anthropologist with deep and long experience in these matters. As such, it is both a superb introduction to the basic issues and a presentation of the author's own original contributions. The appearance of this book in English gives North American readers access to these important and political currents in Latin American anthropology and political economy. It is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the current recrudescence of indigenous peoples at this moment in history-when conventional wisdom had predicted its demise. ... Read more

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Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, MT. Explores the intimate relationship between people and the land, environment, and health. For physicians and ecologists. Softcover. DNLM: Environmental Health. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent choice as a follow up to Rachel Carson's work
From Samiin Scandanavia to Native peoples of Montana and the Amazonian rain forests, the health of indigenous peoples is being compromised in the name of economic development. This book is a series of interviews, casestudies, and stories told by indigenous peoples themselves and offerssolutions to the problems of environmental degradation facing all of us.With a Forward written by Dr. Eberahrd Wenzil, Deputy Director of theSchool of Public Health, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, and aPreface by Hopi educator, Dr. Gregory Cajete, this readable yet academicwork provides a forum for indigenous peoples to speakout and adds an exciting dimension to any environmental health curriculum.

Indians talk back - and quite rightly so
This is another book by an amazing woman: she covers "both sides" and she does it well. This is a book with frightening news, and the unfortunate thing is, the news won't get any better unless we, i.e.White Man, learn to change the way we do business in each and every domain.Looks like Colomeda wants to tell us to change. Looks like we will havesubstantial difficulties to follow her advice. But it's just thatdifference which makes the book a valuable read ... get it now. ... Read more

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Indigenous people constitute a large portion of Latin America's population and suffer from severe and widespread poverty. They are more likely than any other groups of a country's population to be poor. This study documents their socioeconomic situation and shows how it can be improved through changes in policy-influenced variables such as education. The authors review the literature of indigenous people around the world and provide a statistical overview of those in Latin America. Case studies profile the indigenous populations in Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, examining their distribution, education, income, labour force participation and differences in gender roles. A final chapter presents recommendations for conducting future research. ... Read more

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Offers insights into the world of the ancient Central American tribes, revealing facts about how they fought, led their troops, engendered loyalty and extended their territories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Outstanding military and social history title
It's unfortunate that this book is out of print. Based on interpretation of primary sources ( how I was taught to write history papers ), the author covers several hundred years of Mesoamerican military history. The bulk of the book deals with the Mexica alliance in general and the Atzecs in particular. The illustrations and maps are superb. As cited elsewhere, I recommend this book in addition to Aztec, Mixtec, and Zapotec Armies and The Conquistadores by Osprey. The casual reader will gather the main points made by more scholarly and less readable works. ... Read more

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The indigenous people of the hemisphere have resisted a five-hundred-year assault, fighting to maintain their cultural identities. During this time, authorities in the Americas have insisted that the toleration of indigenous societies and cultures would undermine their respective states. In recent years, however, the nations of the Americas have started to reverse themselves. They are altering their constitutions and proclaiming themselves multiethnic. Why is this happening now? The Politics of Ethnicity: Indigenous Peoples in Latin American States, edited by David Maybury-Lewis, helps us understand the reasons and history behind these times of transition.

The book provides a valuable overview of current problems facing indigenous peoples in their relation with national states in Latin America, from the highlands of Mexico to the jungles of Brazil. The traditional, sometimes centuries old, relations between states and indigenous peoples are now changing and being rediscussed. The collection, authored by U.S. and Latin American anthropologists using interdisciplinary approaches, enables the reader to understand these recent developments in a comparative framework. An ambitious and quite thorough collection, it is brought together skillfully by one of the discipline's maître penseurs. ... Read more

Product Description
Discover all about the everyday lives of early American peoples by investigating in turn the lost civilizations of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca peoples and the enduring Arctic and Native American Indian cultures of the North. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very good pictures and fun craft ideas
I was a little hesitant to buy this book, since no one had reviewed it and there were no sample pages available, but I'm glad I got it.

There are 4 large sections: Aztec & Maya, Incas, North American Indians, and Arctic Peoples.Each section is set up rather like a DK book, with several color photos (and a few drawings) and text around them.There is lots of information about how each group of people lived, what they believed, some of their history, etc.There are several craft activities for each section, as well.

The weakest section is the North American section, since the information for all groups is together.While readers are informed of the different types of homes, clothing, and general lifestyle between the various cultures, there is little information on any specific culture.Readers wanting information on a particular group (Cherokee, Navajo, etc.) will need an additional source.

Overall, this is a very good beginning place for learning about ancient American cultures & peoples, especially for children from 5-12 years old (With 5 year olds looking at the pictures and being told a little, and perhaps doing a few crafts with help, and older children reading the text for themselves and doing the crafts alone).After reading the appropriate section of this book, readers will be ready to learn more about whatever specific group they are interested in. ... Read more

Product Description
This work approaches Native American literature from within an interdisciplinary framework that complicates traditional notions of literary "origins" and canon. It situates the discussion of Native literatures in a Native American context, suggesting that contemporary Native American writing has its roots in Native oral storytelling traditions. ... Read more

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This unique book provides a complete study of the exquisite Native American basketry from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Monterey Bay region north to Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino and eastward across the Sacramento Valley to the crest of the Sierras. Baskets of the Pomo, Ohlone (Costanoan), Coast Miwok, Esselen, Huchnom, Lake Miwok, Maidu, Wappo, and Yuki people are lavishly illustrated and knowledgably and sensitively described.

Color photographs and drawings illustrate the rare, fine California Indian baskets from museum and private collections in the United States and Europe. The vast majority of these baskets are illustrated for the first time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Superb research and learning book
Great detail of CA Indigenous basketry skills.Excellent teaching photos, good text.A real treasure.Covers the environments in which various baskets were used to show the cultural dynamics of local available foods and basketry materials.

This is a "Must Have" book.
I have a large shelf of books on indian basketry.This Shanks book will be put first in line.For the tribes included, the book covers historical, cultural, and ethnographic aspects in a very readable form.But its unrivaled aspect is in diagnostics and the technical details.Boring?Hardly!The authors show how the artisitic and aestheticvalues derive from the weaving details.The authors trace the migration and fate of tribal peoples through analysis of their weaving. While the book is of "coffee table" quality, it not just a pretty once over dust catcher.I will certainly buy their next volume in the series.

To anyone interested in the artworks or culture of the American Indian, this is a must have treasure.In fact, it can well stand first in line among any indian textile, carving, pottery, or beadwork books that I have ever seen.

A beautiful book
More than exceptionally good regional art, California Indian baskets are amongst the most beautiful and finest baskets in the world. No other book covers basketry with the detail, care and insight of this volume. Approximately 200 baskets are shown in full color along with an enjoyable text that makes reading a pleasure. Basketry studies, anthropology, history, art, archeology and linguistics are all brought together in this unprecedented book. "Indian Baskets of Central California" is full of fascinating information.There are vibrant baskets covered with hundreds of tiny feathers, miniature baskets so small they literally can sit on the head of a pin, feast baskets so large it took several men to lift one when full, and culinary baskets as beautiful as a great painting. You will be proud to own this fine book.

Haven't exactly read it but...
We had the author (Ralph Shanks) as a math teacher in sixth grade-- truly the best teacher we have EVER had! I've never read his books but he used to show us slides of the material, anyway, just be aware when reading this i'm sure fascinating book, that the author is a really good teacher ( which is completely irrelevant we know, but...)

Important Addition to the Field
Ralph Shanks has more than one passion that he writes about.He's known nationwide in Coast Guard history circles as one of the country's leading chroniclers of the history of the United States Life-Saving Service, a predecessor to the Coast Guard.But little do those folks know - except maybe those on the West Coast, of his level of scholarship as it pertains to a subject seemingly as far away from motor lifeboats as one can get: Native American basketry.

Indian Baskets of Central California is split geographically into three sections: San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay, the interior coast range mountains, and the Sierra Nevada and the Delta.Each section highlihghts the basketry of different tribes, both in text and imagery.The book, in fact, is heavily illustrated with photography of existing baskets from collections all over the west coast.The history of the development of each type of basket is told, as is the story behind its ultimate use.The details pertaining to each individual basket's story are as intricately woven into storylines as the baskets themselves were crafted.

Ralph and his wife/editor Lisa Woo Shanks have collaborated on several projects, including the North American Indian Travel Guide.Independently, Lisa is the editor of the Basketry of California and Oregon Series.Their expertise for this very precise subject shines through in this important book, one that will help keep alive fading arts and cultures of the past. ... Read more