KINGS, QUEENS, AND COMMONERS: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT MESOAMERICA

Credit Hours: 3 · Graduate

Through the archaeological study of ancient Mesoamerican peoples, this course fosters knowledge and appreciation of cultural diversity. The course includes an overview of the culture history of indigenous pre-Columbian Central America from initial human colonization during the late Pleistocene to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Attention is paid to societal transformations such as the origin of agriculture, the inception of village life, the development of social inequality, urbanization, and sociopolitical centralization and decentralization. Through the focus on kings, queens, and commoners, emphasis is placed on topics of social archaeology that hold relevance to today's world, including identity, gender, socio-politics and power, household economy, religion and ideology, artistic expression, and ethnicity. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: ANTH 392 .