The Cloud People: Divergent Evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec Civilizations [Paperback]

Kent V. Flannery (Editor), Joyce Marcus (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003 | ISBN-10: 0971958742 | ISBN-13: 978-0971958746

A case study in the divergent evolution of Mexico's Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations, this collection has become a basic resource in the literature of Mesoamerican prehistory and has been widely cited by scholars working on divergent evolution in other parts of the world. Originally published by Academic Press in 1983, a new introduction by the editors updates the volume in terms of discoveries made during the subsequent two decades.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brilliantly synthesizes the rich, diachronic record of prehispanic Mexico . . . . [A] cornerstone of any library with an interest in ancient Mexico." -- Gary M. Feinman, The Field Museum

"[A]n outstanding example of the power of an integrated historical anthropology. . . . It remains a classic in the field." -- Patrick V. Kirch, University of California at Berkeley

"[T]he major resource on Oaxacan prehistory . . . [It] should be present on the bookshelves of everyone interested in prehispanic Mesoamerica." -- David C. Grove, University of Illinois at Urbana

Product Details

• Paperback: 426 pages
• Publisher: Percheron Press, a Division of Eliot Werner Publications (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971958742
• ISBN-13: 978-0971958746
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #368,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An important work on Prehispanic Oaxaca, August 5, 2011

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El Oso (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cloud People: Divergent Evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec Civilizations (Paperback)

This seminal work by Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus (University of Michigan) details the evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec from the Archaic to the Colonial period. Instead of focusing solely on the archaeological record to document the evolution to two closely related peoples, this volume utilizes glottochronological and ethnographic techniques to track their divergence. From the Tehuacan Valley in Puebla to the Tlacolula arm of the Oaxaca Valley, Flannery and Marcus aptly document the rise of state societies, such as Monte Alban, in the region and focus on all aspects of archaeology and anthropology to support their arguments. Such a work, one unseen previously in the archaeological community, deserves to be on the shelf of any person remotely interested in Prehispanic Central Mexico and Mesoamerica as a whole.