Books by David S. Anderson
The site of Xtobo was a Preclassic Maya regional center located in the northwest corner of Yucata... more The site of Xtobo was a Preclassic Maya regional center located in the northwest corner of Yucatan, Mexico. The settlement was first occupied during the Middle Preclassic period and saw its peak period of occupation during the late Middle Preclassic and early Late Preclassic. The site appears to have been largely abandoned by the end of the Preclassic period, although a minor reoccupation occurred during the Classic period. Until its documentation in 2002, Xtobo was unknown to archaeologists, and as a result this dissertation represents the first comprehensive study of the settlement.
The settlement at Xtobo is centered on a well formed plaza flanked by two eight-meter-tall pyramids. Radiating out from the plaza are five causeways, or sacbes, leading to complex structures, most of which appear to have been elite residences. Just to the south of the plaza is a ballcourt believed to date to the Middle Preclassic period. Surrounding the plaza and other central architecture is a dense residential settlement. Analyses of the data recovered from the site suggest it was home to a socially stratified community and likely served as a sociopolitical center for the many other settlements found in the region. Evidence was also recovered demonstrating that the people of Xtobo engaged in long distance trade and interaction with other regions of Mesoamerica.
The presence of a previously unknown complex Preclassic Maya center in northwest Yucatan has required us to rethink many aspects of Maya cultural development, as well as cultural developments throughout Mesoamerica. While the Middle Preclassic Northern Maya Lowlands were in contact with the Gulf coast Olmec, they did not adopt any of their material cultural forms. The presence of Triadic Group architecture at Xtobo demonstrates ties with other areas of the Maya Lowlands, and yet differentiates the site from its neighboring Northern Maya communities. In addition, the ballcourt at Xtobo is only one of twenty-four examples of Middle Preclassic ballcourt architecture recently found in northwest Yucatan. These ballcourts significantly alter our perceptions of the origins of the Mesoamerican ballgame. These issues are explored throughout this dissertation via the study of the site of Xtobo.
Papers by David S. Anderson
Claims for the existence of lost cities represent a problematic form of pseudoarchaeology. If an ... more Claims for the existence of lost cities represent a problematic form of pseudoarchaeology. If an archaeologist insists the city does not exist, then they are closed minded. Or instead, if the archaeologist goes looking for a city and fails to find it, they have not looked hard enough. Once such legends exist, they develop a pernicious hold on popular perceptions of the ancient world. This article examines British explorer Percy Fawcett's claim that a lost city exists in the heart of the Amazon jungle, and argues that the best way to overcome pseudoarchaeological claims for lost cities is not to dismiss them but to openly discuss how the legends originated and developed. Resumen: Las afirmaciones defendiendo la existencia de ciudades perdidas son una forma problemática de pseudoarqueología. Si un arqueólogo insiste que la ciudad no existe, es acusado de tener una mente cerrada. Si, en su lugar, el arqueólogo va en busca de la ciudad y no logra hallarla, es acusado de no buscar lo suficiente. Una vez dichas leyendas existen, logran arraigarse en las percepciones populares del mundo antiguo. Este artículo examina las afirmaciones del explorador británico Percy Fawcett acerca de la existencia de una ciudad perdida en el corazón de la Amazonia. Se defenderá que la mejor forma de superar afirmaciones acerca de ciudades perdidas desde la pseudoarqueología es no desecharlas, sino discutir abiertamente cómo dichas leyendas se originaron y desarrollaron.
This report details the findings of a Phase I survey carried on property managed by the Radford A... more This report details the findings of a Phase I survey carried on property managed by the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP) located in Pulaski and Montgomery counties in Southwest Virginia advance of the construction of a new solid waste incinerator facility in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Based on the results of our survey, we recommend that no additional archaeological excavations are carried out in advance of the construction. We encountered both prehistoric and historic cultural resources in the APE, but at low frequencies and in poor states of preservation. The history of land use for the APE suggests that the prehistoric artifacts are displaced rather than in situ.
This report details the findings of a Phase I survey carried out at the Dublin Facility of the Ra... more This report details the findings of a Phase I survey carried out at the Dublin Facility of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant located in Pulaski county Virginia. Both shovel tests and pedestrian surveys were carried out within the APE, but no cultural materials were encountered. Given this lack of cultural materials, we recommend that construction can continue with minimal risk to cultural resources. Should any cultural materials be encountered during the construction process, we encourage the RAAP to halt construction and contact the appropriate officials.
SAA Archaeological Record, pp. 18-22, Mar 2013
The complicated cultural history of the modern nation of Mexico has created a lengthy list of peo... more The complicated cultural history of the modern nation of Mexico has created a lengthy list of people who have vested interests in the protection, promotion, and presentation of the pre-Hispanic past. In this paper, I wrestle with my own attempts to understand the complexities of these competing narratives by examining who the stakeholders are in this situation and why they consider themselves to be stakeholders. Ultimately I attempt to address how we can approach conflicts between stakeholders when their interpretations of the pre-Hispanic past do not agree. These problems unfortunately are not simple and do not have simple solutions, but they do form an important part of understanding the contemporary legacies of ancient Mesoamerica.
The material expressions of the powerful symbols and cultural traditions of ancient Mesoamerican ... more The material expressions of the powerful symbols and cultural traditions of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations
have long played vital roles in constructing social and political discourses, collective identities, and worldviews in
the Mexican present. In this chapter, we provide the theoretical background for this volume, highlighting the early history of archaeological representation and patrimony in Mexico prior to the 20th century and situating these studies within the current phase of anthropological research in the related areas of public archaeology, heritage studies, and community (engaged) archaeology. [public archaeology, heritage, identity politics, community archaeology, tourism]
The SAA Archaeological Record, Mar 2013
Professional archeologists have long lumped pseudoarchaeological theories into a single category ... more Professional archeologists have long lumped pseudoarchaeological theories into a single category of unsubstantiated “bunk,” yet a closer examination reveals that there is tremendous variety in these theories and in the people that hold them. Building upon a recent survey of American beliefs in the paranormal, we examine the relationship between the content and structure of pseudoarchaeological beliefs, and the intensity that they are believed in or practiced. These factors are critical to guiding archaeologists to better understanding and interacting (or not interacting) with creators or promoters of pseudoarchaeology, and more importantly, a general public looking for answers.
The traces, tidemarks, and legacies of ancient Mesoamerica are interwoven into the fabric of the ... more The traces, tidemarks, and legacies of ancient Mesoamerica are interwoven into the fabric of the living, breathing social landscape of Mexico in myriad ways. Whether one shops for construction materials at Cemento Maya, cheers on la selección Azteca, participates in the Aztlan movement, finds oneself pulled into the mural paintings of Orozco, Rivera, and Siqueiros, or takes a tour of the ruins of the ceremonial centers themselves, the material expressions of the powerful symbols and cultural traditions of Mexico’s archaeological past continue to play vital roles in constructing contemporary discourses and identities. This extends beyond the borders of modern nation-states through cultural tourism and transnational migration. In this session, we explore the contemporary life of Mexico’s ancient cultures at home and abroad through an examination of the current and potential uses of archaeological heritage in the realms of identity narratives and politics, economics, development, media, ecology, tourism, migration, and more—all of which contribute to the social landscape from within which traces and legacies of the past are marshaled to shape the present and future. Session papers will represent the interplay of a variety of perspectives and approaches from anthropology, archaeology, museology, sociology, literary and cultural studies, gender studies, tourism studies, ethnohistory, art history, ethnic studies, and Latin American studies.
In popular media and culture, extraordinary and esoteric claims, dubbed “pseudoarchaeology,” domi... more In popular media and culture, extraordinary and esoteric claims, dubbed “pseudoarchaeology,” dominate the image of the human past. The success of these alternative narratives demonstrates a latent interest in archaeology that the scientific community has not been able to satisfy. Past efforts to confront pseudoarchaeological claims have focused on dismissal and redirection to questions of more viable research interest to scholars, a tactic that has not borne much fruit. This session instead points to a more proactive model of research and presentation directly aimed at the “alternative” questions regarding the human past that are popular in public discourse.
Prior to AD 2000, archaeologists had registered three Middle Preclassic and less than a dozen Lat... more Prior to AD 2000, archaeologists had registered three Middle Preclassic and less than a dozen Late Preclassic sites in northwest Yucatán. Following extensive fieldwork from 2000 to the present, we have now identified more than 150 settlements of the Preclassic period (1000/800 BC - AD 250). More than 120 of these sites were occupied during the Middle Preclassic period (1000/800-400/300 BC), and more than 100 have remains dating to the following Late Preclassic period (400-300 BC - AD 250). Evidently, the majority of the settlements were continuously occupied from one period into the next, and display an early level of complexity commensurate with other regions of the Maya area. This high density early occupation of northern Yucatan in a region which has traditionally been seen as a marginal zone – the driest zone on the peninsula, and one long known for low agricultural productivity – has raised a number of interesting questions about the environment and early settlement of the northern lowlands, and the rapid population growth and development of social complexity in the region.
Powerpoint:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0OwsoI40ayBZjlkMjc2YmUtNmYyOC00MjBjLTg4ZGYtM2ZkM2M1N2JiZjI4&hl=en&authkey=CNip69kB
The Mesoamerican Ballgame is a subject that has received a great deal of attention by scholars, l... more The Mesoamerican Ballgame is a subject that has received a great deal of attention by scholars, largely focusing on the game’s political and societal role amongst Classic and Postclassic period Mesoamerican cultures. Discussions of the game’s antiquity often focus simply on the oldest known Early Preclassic examples of ballcourt architecture, and assume the courts held a similar role as their later counterparts. Recent discoveries of more than 20 examples of Middle Preclassic ballcourts from Maya sites in Northwest Yucatan, Mexico, provide a new source ofdata on the early Mesoamerican ballgame and a new perspective on its societal role.
In the copious literature available discussing, debating, and questioning interaction among the F... more In the copious literature available discussing, debating, and questioning interaction among the Formative period Olmec culture of the southern Mexican Gulf Coast and its neighboring Mesoamerican cultures the Northern Maya Lowlands have largely been ignored. The region was not known for many sites dating to the Formative period, and more importantly those sites that were known did not exhibit traits tying them to the well known Olmec and Mesoamerican Formative traditions. Recent work, however, has radically changed this situation. The author’s own work at the center of Xtobo in northwest Yucatan, as well as work at other sites such as Xocnaceh, Poxila, and numerous smaller sites, has demonstrated that there was a robust occupation of the Northern Maya Lowlands beginning in the Middle Formative period. Despite the exponential growth in materials from the Northern Lowlands, there has been little to no growth in materials associated with Olmec influence. At the same time, pottery associated with the Northern Lowlands has been found in and around the Olmec center of La Venta, affirming that there was contact between these two cultural regions. The author holds that the new research in the Northern Maya lowlands demonstrates an emergent Maya cultural identity that interacted with, but withheld itself from, the Olmec culture and the pervasive Formative Mesoamerican tradition.
Northwest Yucatan has a long tradition of Preclassic archaeology beginning with early work at the... more Northwest Yucatan has a long tradition of Preclassic archaeology beginning with early work at the sites of Dzibilchaltun and Komchen, however beyond these two sites little was known. In recent years a large Middle and Late Preclassic settlement has been documented in the region, including a large Preclassic center known today as Xtobo. Despite its peripheral location Xtobo exhibits pyramids, sacbes, triadic groups, and a small ballcourt. Recent work at the site has documented a complex settlement pattern with a high structure density, but virtually no reoccupation after the Preclassic making Xtobo a crucial resource for study.
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Books by David S. Anderson
The settlement at Xtobo is centered on a well formed plaza flanked by two eight-meter-tall pyramids. Radiating out from the plaza are five causeways, or sacbes, leading to complex structures, most of which appear to have been elite residences. Just to the south of the plaza is a ballcourt believed to date to the Middle Preclassic period. Surrounding the plaza and other central architecture is a dense residential settlement. Analyses of the data recovered from the site suggest it was home to a socially stratified community and likely served as a sociopolitical center for the many other settlements found in the region. Evidence was also recovered demonstrating that the people of Xtobo engaged in long distance trade and interaction with other regions of Mesoamerica.
The presence of a previously unknown complex Preclassic Maya center in northwest Yucatan has required us to rethink many aspects of Maya cultural development, as well as cultural developments throughout Mesoamerica. While the Middle Preclassic Northern Maya Lowlands were in contact with the Gulf coast Olmec, they did not adopt any of their material cultural forms. The presence of Triadic Group architecture at Xtobo demonstrates ties with other areas of the Maya Lowlands, and yet differentiates the site from its neighboring Northern Maya communities. In addition, the ballcourt at Xtobo is only one of twenty-four examples of Middle Preclassic ballcourt architecture recently found in northwest Yucatan. These ballcourts significantly alter our perceptions of the origins of the Mesoamerican ballgame. These issues are explored throughout this dissertation via the study of the site of Xtobo.
Papers by David S. Anderson
have long played vital roles in constructing social and political discourses, collective identities, and worldviews in
the Mexican present. In this chapter, we provide the theoretical background for this volume, highlighting the early history of archaeological representation and patrimony in Mexico prior to the 20th century and situating these studies within the current phase of anthropological research in the related areas of public archaeology, heritage studies, and community (engaged) archaeology. [public archaeology, heritage, identity politics, community archaeology, tourism]
Powerpoint:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0OwsoI40ayBZjlkMjc2YmUtNmYyOC00MjBjLTg4ZGYtM2ZkM2M1N2JiZjI4&hl=en&authkey=CNip69kB
The settlement at Xtobo is centered on a well formed plaza flanked by two eight-meter-tall pyramids. Radiating out from the plaza are five causeways, or sacbes, leading to complex structures, most of which appear to have been elite residences. Just to the south of the plaza is a ballcourt believed to date to the Middle Preclassic period. Surrounding the plaza and other central architecture is a dense residential settlement. Analyses of the data recovered from the site suggest it was home to a socially stratified community and likely served as a sociopolitical center for the many other settlements found in the region. Evidence was also recovered demonstrating that the people of Xtobo engaged in long distance trade and interaction with other regions of Mesoamerica.
The presence of a previously unknown complex Preclassic Maya center in northwest Yucatan has required us to rethink many aspects of Maya cultural development, as well as cultural developments throughout Mesoamerica. While the Middle Preclassic Northern Maya Lowlands were in contact with the Gulf coast Olmec, they did not adopt any of their material cultural forms. The presence of Triadic Group architecture at Xtobo demonstrates ties with other areas of the Maya Lowlands, and yet differentiates the site from its neighboring Northern Maya communities. In addition, the ballcourt at Xtobo is only one of twenty-four examples of Middle Preclassic ballcourt architecture recently found in northwest Yucatan. These ballcourts significantly alter our perceptions of the origins of the Mesoamerican ballgame. These issues are explored throughout this dissertation via the study of the site of Xtobo.
have long played vital roles in constructing social and political discourses, collective identities, and worldviews in
the Mexican present. In this chapter, we provide the theoretical background for this volume, highlighting the early history of archaeological representation and patrimony in Mexico prior to the 20th century and situating these studies within the current phase of anthropological research in the related areas of public archaeology, heritage studies, and community (engaged) archaeology. [public archaeology, heritage, identity politics, community archaeology, tourism]
Powerpoint:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0OwsoI40ayBZjlkMjc2YmUtNmYyOC00MjBjLTg4ZGYtM2ZkM2M1N2JiZjI4&hl=en&authkey=CNip69kB
*Future presentations of this talk have been scheduled in January and February with the West Virginia Public Library system.