Description: This book traces the history of past human settlement in one of Mesoamerica's most important early cities. In his new prologue, Richard Blanton discusses the genesis and background of the project, its impact on the development of urban archaeology, and the changes it stimulated in how archaeologists think about the Mesoamerican past.
Brief description: Richard E. Blanton, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
Review Quotes: "We have [Blanton] and his colleagues to thank for some exceedingly enlightening information about the development of an early complex society. . . . His volume . . . is a significant contribution to our knowledge and a stimulus to the discussion of important ideas." Robert D. Drennan in Reviews in Anthropology "Blanton presents a detailed reconstruction of the origin, growth, and ultimate decay of this major pre-Columbian urban center. . . . The descriptions of the main plaza and the various site divisions are a masterly piece of archaeological reporting." William T. Sanders and Robert S. Santley in Science "[A] major study on the overall settlement form, function, and the changes therein through time for one of the greatest of Mesoamerican pre-Columbian centers. . . . The work provides a data base for many fascinating questions." Gordon R. Willey in Hispanic American Historical Review