Ancient Mesoamerica
ANT
315
Spring 2012
Spring
Term 2012
Instructor: Scott E. Simmons, Ph.D.
M, W, F
1:00-1:50
simmonss@uncw.edu; 910.962.3429
SBS Room 201,
UNCW
Office Hours: T, Th, 1-3 pm
http://people.uncw.edu/simmonss
Course Description
Mesoamerica is a broad geographic area made up of a variety of peoples who share
both similar and uniquely different cultural traditions. Some of the greatest
civilizations in the ancient world developed in Mesoamerica. This course will
provide you with an overview of the cultural history of this fascinating
region. You will be learning about aspects of the social, political, economic,
religious and ideological systems of various Mesoamerican peoples. You will
also come to understand how the peoples of this region accomplished their
remarkable achievements in architecture, calendrics, astronomy, art, the
sciences and literature. We also will explore both the continuities and changes
that have occurred in this culture area from precolumbian to Spanish Colonial
times. Information will be drawn primarily from the results of archaeological
investigations, modern ethnographic accounts, and Spanish as well as native
ethnohistoric documentary sources. This class will be structured as an open
discussion format based on readings from the course text and e-reserves.
An important part of this course is a two-week trip to Mesoamerican countries of
Mexico, Belize & Guatemala that will take place exactly one week after Spring
Commencement exercises (see attached schedule with travel dates). Students who
are enrolled in both ANT 315 as well as ANT 294 (the one-credit travel component
of the course will travel with Professor Simmons to a variety of well-known
archaeological sites in each of the above countries, including Chichen Itzá,
Tulum, Coba, Lamanai, Tikal and various museums. A detailed daily travel
itinerary is attached to this course syllabus.
Term Week Topics of Discussion Assigned Readings
Jan 11-13 Introduction: Environment, Culture and Chronology Evans Chapters 1 & 2
Jan 16-20 The Earliest Mesoamericans - Paleoindian &
Archaic Peoples
Evans Chapter 3 &
4
Jan 23-27 The Early and Middle Formative (Preclassic)
Period Evans Chapters 5 & 6
The Olmec and their neighbors
Jan 30-Feb 3 The Emergence of states in Late Formative times
Evans Chapters 7 - 9
Short Paper 1 due 31 January
Feb 6-10 The Emergence of the Maya and Teotihuacan Evans Chapters 10 & 11
Feb 13-17 Mighty Teotihuacan – Colossus in the Valley of Mexico
E-Reserve 1
Exam I – Friday 17 February
Feb 20-24 The Early Classic Maya-Fluorescence in the Jungle E-Reserve 2
Feb 27-Mar 2 Collapse of the Maya in the Southern Lowlands Evans Chapters 12 & 13
March 5-9 Changes in Attitude, Changes in Latitude: the Epi-Classic
Short Paper 2 due 9 March
Evans Chapters 14 & 15
March 12-16 Spring Break – no classes
April 23-27 The Mesoamerican cultural tradition C, G & G Chapters 12 & 14
April 30 Native Mesoamericans in the Modern
Era C, G & G Chapter 8
Last day of classes
May 7 Exam III – 11:30-2:30 pm
C,
G & G – Carmack, Gasco & Gossen
(see course reading list and course resources)
Course Resources
Course Texts:
Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and Culture History.
Second edition. Susan Toby Evans. Thames and Hudson. 2008.
The Legacy of Mesoamerica.
Second edition. Edited by Robert L. Carmack, Janine Gasco and Gary Gossen.
Pearson Prentice Hall. 2007.
Online Resources:
http://www.mesoweb.com/
ANCIENT MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS http://www.angelfire.com/ca/humanorigins/
Computer Software
Mesolore:
Exploring Mesoamerican Culture
by Liza Bakewell and Byron Hamann, 2001
Learning Outcomes
• An understanding of the diversity of Mesoamerica’s physical, natural and social environments, including its physiography, cultural geography and cultural ecology
• An understanding of the political, social and economic factors that led to the development of complex societies, how states functioned as viable entities for periods of time as well as the causes and consequences of their decline
· An understanding of the common structural components of Mesoamerican states as well as their unique particular attributes
• An appreciation of the complex social, political and economic relationships that developed between Mesoamerican peoples in Precolumbian times
• An appreciation of the ways in which Mesoamerican peoples created and negotiated their social identities in response to pressures by Spanish colonists to assimilate
Grading
There will be three exams for
this course. Each exam will cover a third of the material we’ve discussed in
class. Exams will cover all of the material that is part of the class,
including assigned readings, lectures, slides, videos and in-class activities.
You have two options for research in this class. You may either complete a
research paper in which you’ll present the results of your research on a topic
of your choice. The paper will be 13-15 (double-space typed) pages in length
and will be due on 9 April 2012, exactly three weeks prior to the final day of
classes. Alternatively, you have the option of completing three 4-6 page papers
on three different topics: Mesoamerican religious tradition, literature and
writing, and the Spanish Conquest (see attached sheet for more details).
Attendance in this class is mandatory. You are encouraged to participate in
class, and while points will not be deducted if you miss class, your good
attendance and participation will be rewarded.
Grades are based on a 400 point system:
Exam I
- 100 points Exam II – 100
points Final Exam - 100 points
Research Paper(s) – 100 points total for either paper option. Option 1 – long paper. Option 2 – three short papers. Papers 1 & 2 are worth 35 points each and paper 3 is worth 30 points.
Research Papers
There are two options you have for completing research on ancient Mesoamerica in
this course. Professor Simmons will provide you very specific guidelines for
your paper(s), whichever option you choose.
Option 1: You may complete a 15-18 page paper (double-spaced, typed) on a research topic of your choice by the end of the semester. I will provide you with suggestions on various research topics and you are free to choose your own topic of interest. Topics can include any aspect of Mesoamerican cultures, time periods, cultural evolution, specific cultural attributes (social, economic, political, religious, etc), specific culture groups (Maya, Zapotec, Aztec, Olmec, etc), topical issues (emergence of agriculture, development of sociopolitical complexity, changing architectural traditions, etc) or cross-cultural comparisons.
If
you choose this option you must cite at least 5 (five) sources of information.
You may not cite Wikipedia as a source and you must clear with Prof. S.
any on-line sources you might wish to use for your paper. You also must discuss
your paper topic with Prof S, as well as all your sources of information,
no later than 17 February 2012. You can certainly discuss your paper
topic and sources with me anytime prior to that date, of course. Specific
guidelines you are to follow closely will be provided on the class web site for
the research paper. The last day papers will be accepted is three weeks before
the last day of classes, which will be Monday 9 April 2012.
Option 2: You may complete three separate, 4-6 page papers on the following research topics: 1) Indigenous Literature in Preconquest, 2) Colonial Mesoamerica Mesoamerican Religious Traditions, and 3) the Spanish Conquest of Mesoamerica. For each short paper you will discuss the salient points of a chapter devoted to each of these three topics from the book The Legacy of Mesoamerica: History and Culture of a Native American Civilization (second edition) by Robert M. Carmack, Janine Gasco and Gary H. Gossen, 2007. The book chapters are on reserve at the Randall Library.
If you choose this option you will be given suggestions for specific points and ideas you should address in each of your papers so that the result is a tightly focused, summary discussion of the important components in each book chapter. If you choose this option you must complete and turn in the first short research paper on Indigenous Literature in Preconquest and Colonial Mesoamerica no later than 31 January 2012. Short Paper 2 is due on 9 March 2012 and Short Paper 3 is due on 9 April 2012. NOTE: Failure to turn in Short Paper 1 by 31 January 2012 automatically requires you to complete Option 1, the 13-15 page research paper.
Professor Simmons’s Web
Site
Periodically log onto
http://people.uncw.edu/simmonss for class announcements, extra credit
opportunities, the course syllabus, and information regarding ancient
Mesoamerica and our course.
E-Reserve 1 Social Identity and Daily Life in Classic Teotihuacan by Linda Manzanilla. In Mesoamerican Archaeology, edited by Julia A. Hendon and Rosemary A. Joyce, pp. 124-147. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, Massachusetts. 2004
E- Reserve 2 Social Diversity and Everyday Life within Classic Maya Settlements by Cynthia Robin. In Mesoamerican Archaeology, edited by Julia A. Hendon and Rosemary A. Joyce, pp. 148-168. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, Massachusetts. 2004.