C Ancient Cultures of Mexico and Central America

Catalog description

Term hours: 54 lecture. This course explores the diverse cultures of ancient Mesoamerica from the origins of civilization through the initial period of Spanish contact. Mesoamerica is defined as the culture area extending from the Rio Grande to the north to the Isthmus of Panama to the south. While the contributions of all four fields of anthropology will be explored, this course will primarily approach the cultures of Mesoamerica from archaeological and ethnohistoric perspectives. The subsistence practices, social organization and ideologies of past cultures will be presented and links between these ancient lifeways and aspects of the modern cultures of northern Latin America will be discussed. (UC/CSU, AA GE, CalGETC).