Reassessing the Aztatlán World

Michael D. Mathiowetz is a research specialist at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. He has published widely in Kiva, Journal of the Southwest, Journal of Archaeological Research, British Archaeological Reports, Dumbarton Oaks, El Colegio de MichoacÁn, and others.John M. D. Pohl’s background in archaeology, art history, and media have taken him from feature film and television production to serving as a curator, writer, and designer for major museum exhibitions including “Sorcerers of the Fifth Heaven: Art and Ritual in Ancient Southern Mexico” for Princeton University and “Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico” for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Dallas Museum of Art.

• List of FiguresList of TablesPrefaceIntroduction. Integrated Approaches to the AztatlÁn Tradition: History, Scale, and New Directions by John M. D. Pohl and Michael D. MathiowetzPart I. What is AztatlÁn?: A Historical PerspectiveChapter 1. The Current Status of the AztatlÁn Phenomenon in Far Western Mexico: What? Where? and When?Joseph B. MountjoyPart II. Local and Regional Viewpoints: AztatlÁn Sociopolitical Organization and Complexity from Continental to Local ScalesChapter 2. Coast-to-Coast: Evidence for AztatlÁn Articulation in Supraregional Interaction NetworksLaura Solar ValverdeChapter 3. Ritual Objects as Cultural Capital: A Comparison between the Mixtec-Zapotec, AztatlÁn, and Casas Grandes Cultural Co-TraditionsJohn M. D. PohlChapter 4. Social Organization in the AztatlÁn Tradition (AD850 – 1350): The Sayula and Chapala Basins (Jalisco), a Case StudySusana RamÍrez UrreaChapter 5. San Felipe AztatÁn: An AztatlÁn Political and Ceremonial Center in the Lower Basin of the RÍo Acaponeta, NayaritMauricio GarduÑo AmbrizChapter 6. Not All that Glitters is AztatlÁn Ceramics: The Development of Complex Societies in Southern SinaloaLuis Alfonso Grave TiradoChapter 7. Was There a Coastal Colony in the Eastern Valleys of Durango?: Notes on AztatlÁn-Chalchihuites InteractionCinthya Isabel Vidal AldanaChapter 8. Interaction and Integration on the Northern AztatlÁn Frontier in SinaloaJohn P. Carpenter and Guadalupe SÁnchezChapter 9. Selective Influence of West Mexico Cultural Traditions in the Ónavas Valley, Sonora, MexicoCristina GarcÍa Moreno, James T. Watson, and Danielle PhelpsPart III. Technologies, Economies, and Trade in the AztatlÁn Region and BeyondChapter 10. Obsidian Usage and Trade in Postclassic West MexicoDaniel E. PierceChapter 11. A Spatial and Temporal Comparative Analysis of Metal Objects from MichoacÁn to the Greater SouthwestJosÉ Luis Punzo DÍaz and Lissandra GonzÁlezPart IV. AztatlÁn Religion, Ritual Practice, and Worldview: The Archaeological Past and Continuities in the Ethnographic PresentChapter 12. Funerary Practices during the Epiclassic and Postclassic: La Pitayera, NayaritJosÉ Carlos BeltrÁn Medina, MarÍa de Lourdes GonzÁlez Barajas, Jorge Arturo Talavera GonzÁlez, and Juan Jorge Morales MonroyChapter 13. A World Within the World: Portraiture Effigy Bowls and Cargo Systems in Mitote Cycles of the AztatlÁn CultureMichael D. MathiowetzChapter 14. The Flowering World of the Gran Nayar: An Ethnographic Approach for Conceptualizing Political Legitimacy in the AztatlÁn WorldPhilip E. CoylePart V. Concluding Thoughts and New DirectionsChapter 15. Discussion: The Three Transitions of AztatlÁnChristopher S. BeekmanReferences CitedContributorsIndex

“The editors do an excellent job of bringing together all the leading figures on the subject and producing a naturally coherent volume.”—Matthew Pailes, The University of Oklahoma