The Cities of Ancient Mexico: Reconstructing a Lost World

In this new, revised edition of Jeremy Sabloff's study, he looks at some of the richest cultures of the early historic world - Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec. Professor Sabloff describes everyday life during the heyday of Mexico's greatest cities in a series of vignettes; through the eyes of astronomers and ballplayers, merchants and priests, we see the temples, palaces and tombs of a civilization obsessed with ritual and death. Who built these cities and how do we know? Sabloff seeks to explain why archaeologists believe in the indigenous origins of the Mexican civilization.;This updated edition includes archaeological research on the ancient cities of Mexico; incorporates breakthroughs in the decipherment of the Maya script; and draws on readings of Aztec ethno-historical sources. Throughout, the author reveals the ideas and techniques revolutionizing archaeological fieldwork and aims to show how the evidence is being used to reconstruct a fuller picture of life in these ancient cities.