The Pre-History of Western Mexico - Softcover

Schery, Allen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1968950141 ISBN 13: 9781968950149

Publisher: Brooklyn Bridge Books, 2025

Synopsis

The Pre-History of Western Mexico unveils the rich and dynamic cultural trajectory of a region long overshadowed in Mesoamerican studies. Stretching from the first Paleoindian hunters to the upheavals of Spanish conquest, this pioneering work integrates fifteen chapters of original research to demonstrate that Western Mexico was not a peripheral backwater but a crucible of technological innovation, alternative social organization, and enduring cultural traditions.
Drawing on decades of fieldwork—most notably the Turquoise Project in Jalisco and Nayarit—and the collaborative paradigms developed by Pedro Armillas García, Phil C. Weigand, and Garman Harbottle, this study employs a philosophical anthropological framework that marries phenomenological insight with rigorous archaeological and ethnohistoric evidence. From detailed analysis of Archaic foraging systems and the transformative shaft-tomb mortuary complexes, through the rise of circular ceremonial centers at Los Guachimontones, to the region’s mastery of obsidian, turquoise trade networks, and pre-Columbian copper and bronze metallurgy, each chapter weaves environmental context, material culture, and indigenous cosmologies into a coherent narrative of human creativity.
Central to the volume is the concept of circular hierarchy—a heterarchical governance model that distributed authority through lineage councils and ritual networks, enabling resilient political institutions and sustainable agricultural strategies over two millennia. Comparative chapters situate Western Mexico alongside contemporaneous civilizations in Mesopotamia, Crete, the American Southwest, and the Andes, revealing universal patterns of cultural evolution and distinctive regional pathways that challenge state-centric models of complexity.
The book also explores the methodological and ethical contributions of its foundational scholars, showcasing community-based research methods that integrate indigenous knowledge, ethnohistoric sources, and cutting-edge scientific analyses. The concluding chapters trace the living legacy of these ancient traditions in Huichol, Purépecha, and Cora communities today, and propose new directions for heritage management, digital repatriation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Meticulously researched and referenced, The Pre-History of Western Mexico offers scholars and general readers alike a transformative vision of a region that redefines our understanding of Mesoamerica and human cultural potential. It is essential reading for archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and anyone interested in the diverse ways societies innovate, adapt, and endure.

Edition details

• Publisher: Brooklyn Bridge Books
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1968950141
• ISBN 13: 9781968950149
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 343