(3 CREDITS)
This course will survey the prehistory of ancient Mesoamerica, with particular focus on the major aboriginal cultures of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize (i.e. the Olmecs, Teotihuacan, Zapotecs, Maya, Aztecs, etc.). Lectures, readings, slides, films, field trips, and discussions will cover the Pre-Columbian archaeology and culture history of Mesoamerica, with specific attention to the native arts, architecture, scientific achievements, physical anthropology and paleo-ethnography of principal Native groups. The course progresses chronologically from Paleo-Indian times to the European Conquest, with emphasis on major cultural achievements and the growth of civilizations in the various regions of the area.