Ancient Mexican Civilization

Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences The University of Alabama

Class Place and Time:	23 ten Hoor Hall; MWF 11:00-11:50
Office:	25A ten Hoor Hall
*Office Hrs*:	Tues 1:30-3:30, Wed 1:30-3:30, and by appointment
*email:*	llecount@tenhoor.as.ua.edu

This course is an advanced introduction to the ancient peoples of Mexico and their neighbors. Archaeological evidence, ethnohistorical documents, and modern ethnologies will be used to reconstruct the development of Mexican societies from bands of big game hunters in the late Pleistocene to the flourishing civilizations encountered by the Spaniards in the early 1500’s. Students study the great states of the ancient Aztecs and Teotihuacános, but will also learn about "La Cultura Madre" -- the Olmec -- from which many cultural aspects such as hieroglyphic writing, blood-letting, and monument building originated. Ultimately, this course hopes to impart an anthropological framework for understanding social transformations of the Mesoamerican world over the last 30 centuries and those to come.

1) A midterm exam worth 33% of your grade. The exam is composed of multiple choice, matching, identification, and short essay questions. There will also be map questions. Date: Feb 26
2) A final exam worth 33% of your grade. Date: May 8. The structure of the final is the same as the midterm.
3) A research project worth 33% of your grade. Due: April 30

Grading policy on exams and project:
Students are responsible for the timely presentation of their oral reports and written papers. If a student fails to give an oral presentation and/or provide the written paper on the appropriate date, they will receive an 0 points for the assignment. There are no excuses for missing deadlines and negating your obligations to other students. Make-up midterm exams must be arranged in advance and are only allowed in documented emergency situations. There will be no make-up final exams! You may request a re-evaluation of an assignment or exam grade, however, I reserve the right to also lower the original assessment.

Topics and readings:
Jan. 6-8 The Mesoamerican World: Modern Peoples and Language
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 1
Jan. 11-15 The Mesoamerican World: Geography and Chronology
Assignment: none
Jan. 18-22 Paleo-indian and the Archaic periods: The Tehuacán Valley
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 2 and 3
Jan. 25-29 Early Village Life: The Oaxaca Valley farmers
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 4
Feb. 1-5 The Olmec: La Cultura Madre (Part 1: San Lorenzo)
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 5
Feb. 8-12 The Olmec: La Cultura Madre (Part 2: La Venta)
Assignment: none
Feb. 15-19 The Zapotecs of Monte Albán: An Early Militaristic State
Assignment: none
Feb. 22-26 Mesoamerican Writing Systems, Calendrics, and World Views
Assignment: none
Midterm Exam: Friday Feb. 26
Mar. 1-5 Teotihuacan: The First Urban State
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 6
Mar. 8-12 Teotihuacan: Obsidian Trade and Economic Power
Assignment: None
Mar. 15-19 Tula and The New Political World Order
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 7
Mar. 22-25 Birth of the Aztec Empire
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 8 & Townsend Part II
Mar. 26-Apr. 2 Spring Break
Apr. 5-9 Aztec Empire: The Hegomonic Triple Alliance
Assignment: Read Townsend Part III
Apr. 12-16 Aztec Life: Political Prestige, Social Class, and Warfare
Assignment: Read Coe Chapter 9 & Townsend Parts IV & V
Apr. 19-23 Spain in the 1400’s and the Conquest of the New World
Assignment: Read Townsend Part I
Apr. 26-30 The Early Colonial Period in Mexico
Assignment: Read Coe Epilogue
May 8 Final Exam 8:00-10:30 AM

Student presentations
Each student is responsible for presenting an oral report and written paper on one article on the official reading list (to be provided). The purpose of this exercise is to provide you with an idea of the kinds of questions Mesoamericanists attempt to address, what classes of data they use to test their hypotheses, and how well they succeed in their endeavors. The reading list contains numerous articles covering a range of topics and theoretical perspectives, therefore students should be able to satisfy their interests and curiosities. I have found that this exercise is less stressful than writing "term papers". The problem with term papers is that most students do not discover their topics until late in the semester. Then there is a mad scramble to locate references which are not available, and as a consequence, students end-up reading out-dated, popular books or difficult, jargon-laden professional articles of little importance. Term papers often become make-work assignments and do not result in a satisfying assignment.

Oral presentations should be between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the article. Students may read from a prepared script, use an outline, or "wing-it" with index cards. Oral presentations, like the written presentation, should include the following information concerning the article:

1) A discussion of the current issue or debate addressed by the author.
2) A brief description of the geographical area and temporal period to place the work in context.
3) A presentation of the data used to address the model or question.
4) The results of the study.
5) How the article relates to ideas we have discussed in class.
6) Your evaluation of the work.

Written projects should be double-spaced manuscripts with 1 inch margins. They should be approximately 10 pages in length, contain citations, and a bibliography. Students will read 3 additional articles or books that address particular aspects presented in the original article.