Palaces and power in the Americas : from Peru to the northwest coast

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Bibliographic Information

Palaces and power in the Americas : from Peru to the northwest coast

edited by Jessica Joyce Christie and Patricia Joan Sarro

University of Texas Press, 2006

Available at  / 2 libraries

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Note

Based on a symposium held at the 2000 Conference of the Society for American Archaeology in Philadelphia

Includes bibliographical references and index

Contents of Works

  • Introduction / Jessica Joyce Christie
  • Looking for Moche palaces in the elite residences of the Huacas of Moche Site / Claude Chapdelaine
  • Landscape of power : a network of palaces in middle horizon Peru / William H. Isbell
  • Lords of the great house : Pueblo Bonito as a palace / Stephen H. Lekson
  • Sacred and profane mountains of the Pasión : contrasting architectural paths to power / Arthur A. Demarest
  • Political dimensions of monumental residences on the northwest coast of North America / Colin Grier
  • Rising above : the elite acropolis of El Tajín / Patricia Joan Sarro
  • The residence of power at Paso de la Amada, Mexico / Michael Blake ... [et al.]
  • When is a house a palace? : elite residences in the Valley of Oaxaca / Sarah B. Barber and Arthur A. Joyce
  • Rulership and palaces at Teotihuacan / William T. Sanders and Susan Toby Evans
  • Antecedents of the Aztec palace : palaces and political power in classic and postclassic Mexico / Susan Toby Evans
  • Elite residences at Farfán : a comparison of the Chimú and Inka occupations / Carol Mackey
  • Houses of political power among the ancient Maya and Inka / Jessica Joyce Christie
  • Conclusions / William T. Sanders

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Ancient American palaces still captivate those who stand before them. Even in their fallen and ruined condition, the palaces project such power that, according to the editors of this new collection, it must have been deliberately drawn into their formal designs, spatial layouts, and choice of locations. Such messages separated palaces from other elite architecture and reinforced the power and privilege of those residing in them. Indeed, as Christie and Sarro write, "the relation between political power and architecture is a pervasive and intriguing theme in the Americas." Given the variety of cultures, time periods, and geographical locations examined within, the editors of this book have grouped the articles into four sections. The first looks at palaces in cultures where they have not previously been identified, including the Huaca of Moche Site, the Wari of Peru, and Chaco Canyon in the U.S. Southwest. The second section discusses palaces as "stage sets" that express power, such as those found among the Maya, among the Coast Salish of the Pacific Northwest, and at El Tajin on the Mexican Gulf Coast. The third part of the volume presents cases in which differences in elite residences imply differences in social status, with examples from Pasado de la Amada, the Valley of Oaxaca, Teotihuacan, and the Aztecs. The final section compares architectural strategies between cultures; the models here are Farfan, Peru, under both the Chimu and the Inka, and the separate states of the Maya and the Inka. Such scope, and the quality of the scholarship, make Palaces and Power in the Americas a must-have work on the subject.

Table of Contents

* Preface and Acknowledgments * Note on Orthography * Introduction (Jessica Joyce Christie) * Part 1. Identification of Palaces *1. Looking for Moche Palaces in the Elite Residences of the Huacas of Moche Site (Claude Chapdelaine) *2. Landscape of Power: A Network of Palaces in Middle Horizon Peru (William H. Isbell) *3. Lords of the Great House: Pueblo Bonito as a Palace (Stephen H. Lekson) * Part 2. Palaces as Active Stage Sets of Political Ideology *4. Sacred and Profane Mountains of the Pasion: Contrasting Architectural Paths to Power (Arthur A. Demarest) *5. Political Dimensions of Monumental Residences on the Northwest Coast of North America (Colin Grier) *6. Rising Above: The Elite Acropolis of El Tajin (Patricia Joan Sarro) * Part 3. Correspondences between Material Aspects of Elite Residences and Social Status *7. The Residence of Power at Paso de la Amada, Mexico (Michael Blake, Richard G. Lesure, Warren D. Hill, Luis Barba, and John E. Clark) *8. When Is a House a Palace? Elite Residences in the Valley of Oaxaca (Sarah B. Barber and Arthur A. Joyce) *9. Rulership and Palaces at Teotihuacan (William T. Sanders and Susan Toby Evans) *10. Antecedents of the Aztec Palace: Palaces and Political Power in Classic and Postclassic Mexico (Susan Toby Evans) * Part 4. Comparison of Palaces across Cultures *11. Elite Residences at Farfan: A Comparison of the Chimu and Inka Occupations (Carol Mackey) *12. Houses of Political Power among the Ancient Maya and Inka (Jessica Joyce Christie) * Conclusions (William T. Sanders) * Contributors * Index

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