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Full Description
The Olmecs are renowned for their massive carved stone heads and other sculptures, the first stone monuments produced in Mesoamerica. Seven decades of archaeological research have given us many insights into the lifeways of the Olmecs, who inhabited parts of the modern Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from around 1150 to 400 BC, and there are several good books that summarize the current interpretations of Olmec prehistory. But these formal studies don't describe the field experiences of the archaeologists who made the discoveries. What was it like to endure the Olmec region's heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and ticks to bring that ancient society to light? How did unforeseen events and luck alter carefully planned research programs and the conclusions drawn from them? And, importantly, how did local communities and individuals react to the research projects and discoveries in their territories?
In this engaging book, a leading expert on the Olmecs tells those stories from his own experiences and those of his predecessors, colleagues, and students. Beginning with the first modern explorations in the 1920s, David Grove recounts how generations of archaeologists and local residents have uncovered the Olmec past and pieced together a portrait of this ancient civilization that left no written records. The stories are full of fortuitous discoveries and frustrating disappointments, helpful collaborations and deceitful shenanigans. What emerges is an unconventional history of Olmec archaeology, a lively introduction to archaeological fieldwork, and an exceptional overview of all that we currently know about the Olmecs.
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1. The Olmecs Come to Light
Chapter 2. The Tulane Expedition and the Olmec World (1925-1926)
Chapter 3. The First Excavations: Tres Zapotes (1938-1940)
Chapter 4. Stone Heads in the Jungle (1940)
Chapter 5. Fortuitous Decisions at La Venta (1942-1943)
Chapter 6. Monuments on the RÍo Chiquito (1945-1946)
Chapter 7. The Return to La Venta (1955)
Chapter 8. Of Monuments and Museums (1963, 1968)
Chapter 9. Adding Antiquity to the Olmecs (1966-1968)
Chapter 10. Research Headaches at La Venta (1967-1969)
Chapter 11. Reclaiming La Venta (1984 to the Present)
Chapter 12. San Lorenzo Yields New Secrets (1990-2012, Part 1)
Chapter 13. El ManatÍ: Like Digging in Warm Jell-O (1987-1993)
Chapter 14. "They're Blowing Up the Site!" Tres Zapotes after Stirling (1950-2003)
Chapter 15. An Olmec Stone Quarry and a Sugarcane Crisis (1991)
Chapter 16. Discoveries Large and Small at San Lorenzo (1990-2012, Part 2)
Chapter 17. The Night the Lights Went Out (2001)
Chapter 18. Some Thoughts on the Archaeology of the Olmecs
Bibliographic Essay
Index
