Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Chatinos: Ancient Peoples of Southern Mexico

Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Chatinos: Ancient Peoples of Southern Mexico examines the history of the rich and complex societies that arose and flourished in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Shortly after its founding as a hilltop epicenter of Zapotec culture in about 500 bc, Monte Albán became what is widely considered to be the first city in the Highlands of Mexico. Yet between 300 bc and ad 800, many other powerful urban polities developed in the disparate geographic regions surrounding the Valley of Oaxaca, including in the highland valleys of the Mixteca and lower Río Verde Valley along the Pacific Coast. By drawing upon the most recent archaeological, ethnographic, epigraphic, linguistic, and iconographic evidence, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Chatinos reveals the lengthy, complex strands of historical and cultural interactions woven among the diverse pre–Hispanic societies of Oaxaca. Along with comparing patterns in the settlement, art, architecture, and writing that developed in these regions, Joyce also uses contemporary social theory to challenge previous approaches and address many key problems in the archaeology of the Americas such as the rise and fall of civilizations and the role of religion and ideology in political control.

Informed by thoughtful analysis of recent evidence, anthropological breakthroughs, and ongoing fieldwork, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Chatinos will add clarity to the debates surrounding ancient Mesoamerican civilizations.

List of Figures ix

Preface xiii

1 People, Culture, and History 1

Sources of Evidence 5

Theorizing Oaxaca′s Ancient Past 17

2 Peoples and Landscapes on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest 35

The Physical Geography of Oaxaca 36

Mixtec and Zapotec Peoples at the Time of the Spanish Conquest 42

3 From Foragers to Village Life 64

First Peoples 65

The Archaic Period and the Origins of Agriculture 66

The Transition to Sedentism 70

Negotiating Initial Village Life 73

4 Negotiating Community and Complexity 84

Constructing Community and Identity in the Early Formative 85

Community and Identity in the Early Middle Formative 104

Structures of Authority in the Early to Middle Formative 110

5 From Village to City: The Founding and Early Development of Monte Albán 118

The Late Middle Formative Political Crisis 120

The Founding of Monte Albán 128

Political Consolidation and Upheaval at Monte Albán 155

6 Political Centralization in the Mixteca and Coast 160

Social Transformations in the Mixtec Highlands 160

Interregional Interaction and the Rise of Mixtec Centers 173

Political Authority and Ideology 177

Urbanization in the Lower Río Verde Valley 180

Political Collapse in the Mixteca and the Oaxaca Coast 195

7 Authority and Polity in the Classic Period 197

Classic–Period Society in the Valley of Oaxaca 199

Classic–Period Polities of the Mixtec Highlands 226

Political Fragmentation and Centralization on the Oaxaca Coast 239

8 Collapse and Reemergence 248

The Collapse in the Oaxacan Highlands 249

The Classic–Period Collapse and the Early Postclassic on the Oaxaca Coast 252

Postclassic Heroic History 258

Lord 8 Deer Jaguar Claw and the Archaeology of Tututepec (Yucu Dzaa) 266

Late Postclassic Archaeology of the Oaxacan Highlands 270

The Spanish Conquest 280

9 Conclusions 283

Beyond Functionalism and Neo–Evolutionism in Oaxaca 284

Poststructural Theory and the Archaeology of the Mixtec, Zapotec, and Chatino 287

Endnotes 296

Bibliography 299

Index 336

Arthur A. Joyce is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and has carried out field research in Oaxaca since 1986. His current research interests include social theory in archaeology, human ecology, and the origins, development, and collapse of complex societies in Mesoamerica.

"It is recommended reading for any serious student of Mesoamerican prehistory, and will likely shape the theoretical orientation of much Oaxacan archaeology to come." (Journal of the Royal Astronomical Institute, 2011)

"A very good introduction to a complicated project." (Choice, October 2010).