Origins of the Ñuu: archaelology in the Mixteca Alta, Mexico

Combining older findings with new data on 1,000 previously undescribed archaeological sites, Origins of the ?‘uu presents the cultural evolution of the Mixteca Alta in an up-to-date chronological framework. The ?±uu--the kingdoms of the famous Mixtec codices--are traced back through the Postclassic and Classic periods to their beginnings in the first states of the Terminal Formative, revealing their origin, evolution, and persistence through two cycles of growth and collapse. Challenging assumptions that the Mixtec were peripheral to better-known peoples such as the Aztecs or Maya, the book asserts that the ?±uu were a major demographic and economic power in their own right. Older explanations of multiregional or macroregional systems often portrayed civilizations as rising in a cradle or hearth and spreading outward. New macroregional studies show that civilizations are products of more complex interactions between regions, in which peripheries are not simply shaped by cores but by their interactions with multiple societies at varying distances from major centers. Origins of the ?‘uu is a significant contribution to this emerging area of archaeological research.

Combining older findings with new data on 1,000 previously undescribed archaeological sites, Origins of the Ñuu presents the cultural evolution of the Mixteca Alta in an up-to-date chronological framework.

The ñuu—the kingdoms of the famous Mixtec codices—are traced back through the Postclassic and Classic periods to their beginnings in the first states of the Terminal Formative, revealing their origin, evolution, and persistence through two cycles of growth and collapse. Challenging assumptions that the Mixtec were peripheral to better-known peoples such as the Aztecs or Maya, the book asserts that the ñuu were a major demographic and economic power in their own right.

Older explanations of multiregional or macroregional systems often portrayed civilizations as rising in a cradle or hearth and spreading outward. New macroregional studies show that civilizations are products of more complex interactions between regions, in which peripheries are not simply shaped by cores but by their interactions with multiple societies at varying distances from major centers. Origins of the Ñuu is a significant contribution to this emerging area of archaeological research.

Combining older findings with new data on 1,000 previously undescribed archaeological sites, Origins of the Ñuu presents the cultural evolution of the Mixteca Alta in an up-to-date chronological framework. The ñuu - the kingdoms of the famous Mixtec codices - are traced back through the Postclassic and Classic periods to their beginnings in the first states of the Terminal Formative, revealing their origin, evolution, and persistence through two cycles of growth and collapse. Challenging assumptions that the Mixtec were peripheral to better-known peoples such as the Aztecs or Maya, the book asserts that the ñuu were a major demographic and economic power in their own right. Older explanations of multiregional or macroregional systems often portrayed civilizations as rising in a cradle or hearth and spreading outward. New macroregional studies show that civilizations are products of more complex interactions between regions, in which peripheries are not simply shaped by cores but by their interactions with multiple societies at varying distances from major centers. Origins of the Ñuu is a significant contribution to this emerging area of archaeological research. Contents......Page 8 Figures......Page 12 Tables......Page 20 Preface......Page 24 1: Regional Study of Ancient Societies in the Mixteca Alta......Page 30 2: The Western Nochixtlán Valley......Page 58 3: Greater Teposcolula......Page 110 4: Greater Huamelulpan......Page 186 5: The Inner Basin......Page 212 6: Greater Tlaxiaco......Page 284 7: The Polities of the Early and Middle Formative......Page 314 8: The Emergence of Urbanism and the State......Page 326 9: The Classic Ñuu......Page 334 10: The Postclassic Ñuu......Page 344 11: The Ñuu in Anthropological Perspective......Page 360 12: Resumen en Español......Page 380 Appendix 1: Ceramic Chronology......Page 388 Appendix 2: Flaked and Ground Stone......Page 416 References Cited......Page 424 Index......Page 530 Regional study of ancient societies in the Mixteca Alto -- The Western Nochixtlán Valley -- Greater Teposcolula -- Greater Huamelulpan -- The inner basin -- Greater Tlaxiaco -- The polities of the early and middle formative -- The emergence of urbanism and the state -- The classic Ñuu -- The postclassic Ñuu -- The Ñuu in the anthropological perspective -- Resumen en Español.