The Olmec and Their Neighbors: Essays in Memory of Matthew W. Stirling (Dumbarton Oaks Other Titles in Pre-Columbian Studies) [Hardcover]

Michael Coe (Author), Matthew Williams Stirling (Editor), Michael D. Coe (Editor), David C. Grove (Editor), Elizabeth P. Benson (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

An outstanding collection of useful and thoughtful papers on a wide range of Olmec and Olmec-related topics...[it] will be a valuable reference for many years. (Hispanic American Historical Review )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 346 pages
• Publisher: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection; First Edition edition (January 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884020983
• ISBN-13: 978-0884020981
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,480,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Yale University, Michael D. Coe is a specialist in the comparative study of ancient, tropical forest civilizations. Coe's books include The Maya, Mexico, The True History of Chocolate, Breaking the Maya Code, Reading the Maya Glyphs, and Angkor and the Khmer Civilization.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book deserves to continue to be read. Fine essays, great pictures and illustrations, December 9, 2005

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Olmec and Their Neighbors: Essays in Memory of Matthew W. Stirling (Dumbarton Oaks Other Titles in Pre-Columbian Studies) (Hardcover)

This book is a collection of essays honoring the memory of Matthew W. Stirling, the grand man of Olmec archaeology who died in 1975. This book came out in 1981 and while there have been many wonderful advances in the study of the Olmecs and their predecessors these essays and pictures present very well the state of scholarship at the time. The information on Stirling and his career is also quite wonderful. Seeing him with those giant heads in situ is still breathtaking.

We read about iron ore mirrors, implications of sculpture and figurines, what the deliberate defacing of monuments might mean, issues in Olmec iconography, the diets of Mesoamerican peoples over time and in different geographies (sort of like the spread of American civilization might be detected by the spread of Big Mac boxes). I also enjoyed Michael Coe's thoughts about why the Olmec might have picked swampy San Lorenzo for their home.

This is an interesting book and while more recent books, such as John Clark's wonderful "Olmec Art and Archaeology in Mesoamerica", this book deserves its place and to continue to find new readers.