The Postclassic to Spanish-Era Transition in Mesoamerica: Archaeological Perspectives

In this volume, thirteen ethnohistorical archaeologists who work in Mesomerica, including editors Susan Kepecs and Rani Alexander, break down the artificial barrier between archaeology and history by offering new material evidence of the transition from native-ruled, pre-Hispanic society to the age of Spanish administration. Taken together, the chapters contained herein cover most of the key Mesoamerican regions that eventually came under Spanish control. The authors bring new empirical information to bear on the problem of how pre-Hispanic social, political, and economic organisation were transformed, as independent Maya kingdoms, the Aztec empire (with its client states), the Tarascans, and other more distant polities once linked through the macroregional economic web of the Postclassic period were forcibly incorporated into Spain's transatlantic domain. The complex processes of multidirectional interaction and culture contact among Mesoamericans and Europeans are coloured by cultural diversity, culture clash, and varied responses ranging from accommodation to resistance to active rebellion. These case studies also illuminate how native organisation altered the Spanish imperial process. Ultimately, this volume provides a link between past and present, since Mesoamerican peoples continue to negotiate the effects of globalisation on their societies.