鈥� Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and culture history by Susan Toby Evans, Thames & Hudson, 拢29.95, ISBN 0500284407
鈥� Mesoamerican Archaeology edited by Julia A. Hendon and Rosemary A. Joyce, Blackwell, 拢19.99/$34.95, ISBN 0631230521
鈥� Ancient Mesoamerican Warfare edited by M. Kathryn Brown and Travis W. Stanton, Altamira Press, 拢26.95/$34.95, ISBN 075910283X
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鈥� Andean Archaeology edited by Helaine Silverman, Blackwell, 拢19.99/$34.95, ISBN 0631234004
鈥� Machu Picchu: Unveiling the mystery of the Incas edited by Richard L. Burger and Lucy C. Salazar, Yale University Press, 拢35/$45, ISBN 0300097638
鈥� Navajo Beadwork: Architectures of light by Ellen K. Moore, The University of Arizona Press, $50, ISBN 0816522863
THE past belongs to everyone, not just archaeologists and historians. They have a responsibility not only to investigate, but also to make their findings public in an easily understood form. Failure to do so led to the abuse of European prehistory by the Nazis, and the more recent public ignorance that allows ancient civilisations to be portrayed as mysterious bordering on the magical, or the result of alien visits.
Fortunately, archaeologists are now taking these responsibilities very seriously, especially where the Americas are concerned. They have taken stock of the rapid and sometimes astonishing discoveries in central and South America and made them available to students and the public alike.
The pace of archaeological investigation has been fastest in Meso-America 鈥� the parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras once inhabited by complex societies with attributes such as glyphic writing, state-sponsored religion and art, and monumental architecture. Recent attempts to synthesise this wealth of information and make it accessible include the cleverly organised and beautifully illustrated Ancient Mexico & Central America, and the more specialist collection of papers in Mesoamerican Archaeology and Ancient Mesoamerican Warfare. The development of Mayan cities, the intricate connections between glyphic writing, calendrics and politics are all well covered, as are imperialism, sacrifice and the subtleties of meaning in Aztec pottery.
South America is less well known to archaeologists, still less to students and the public. The lack of publications in English has made it seem more misleadingly mysterious and exotic than Meso-America. So the publication of Andean Archaeology is long overdue and a relief to those who teach the subject. It offers state-of-the-art summaries of exciting advances, especially concerning little-known pre-Incan civilisations such as the Wari (AD 400-800), contemporary Tiwanaku on the shores of Lake Titicaca, and the ways in which power was invested in colourful clothing.
Arguably, no site typifies the consequences of under-publication more than Machu Picchu (above) in Peru. This Inca city perched on a mountaintop never attracted the attention of the Spanish conquistadors and as a result is virtually intact. Rediscovered by Europeans in 1911, the thousands of tourists who visit have more chance of hearing about its 鈥渕agical powers鈥� than its true history. Machu Picchu breaks the spell of popular misconceptions and identifies the city as a royal estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. New investigations have discovered the main road to the valley bottom, identified skeletal remains from burials as belonging to low-status workers, and explored the astronomical alignments used in the city鈥檚 planning.
Recently, attention has been directed to the meaning of shiny and colourful objects unearthed throughout the Americas that were clearly more than decorative baubles. In Navajo Beadwork we see how contemporary native American craftwork provides insights into age-old indigenous ideas about light and colour, and the relationship between manmade items and the natural world of minerals and rainbows. What holds for the modern Navajo can be a powerful guide to understanding their predecessors before Europeans arrived.