A World of BArgAIns: - Oxbow Books

The AmericasWhen ordering, please quote the reference number 344 - 09TenochtitlanDigging for the Pastby Leonardo Lopez Lujan and Judy LevinArchaeologists typically discover the remains of acity and then try to learn about its culture. WithTenochtitlan, archaeologists were faced with theopposite task. Through thousands of documents,historians knew about the culture, people, andbuildings of Tenochtitlan; they just needed touncover the city. In 1790, workers paving themain plaza of Mexico City found their first clue:a three-ton statue of a goddess wearing a skirt ofrattlesnakes. But it was not until the discovery ofthe Great Temple in 1978 that archaeologists couldstart a true, long-term excavation of Tenochtitlan.Archaeologists have since found more than 9,000artifacts and evidence of numerous buildings. Inthis book, Leonardo Lopez Lujan, who has beenexcavating Tenochtitlan since 1980, and co-authorJudy Levin uncover the culture and history ofTenochtitlan that the Spanish tried so hard todestroy.48p (Oxford University Press 2006) hardback,9780921428008, $22.95. Reduced to $5.98TequilaA Natural and Cultural Historyby Ana Guadalupe Valenzuela-Zapata and GaryPaul NabhanThe leading agronomist in Mexico’s tequilaindustry and one of America’s most respectedethnobotanists plumb the myth of tequila as theyintroduce the natural history, economics, andcultural significance of the plants cultivated for itsproduction.160p, illus (University of Arizona Press 2004)paperback, 9780816519385, $14.95. Reduced to $6.98The Spanish Invasion of Mexico,1519–1521by Charles M RobinsonThis book explains the background both ofthe Aztec Empire and the Spanish presence inMexico. It describes the lives of the Aztecs in theirglittering capital and of the Europeans as theylearned to adapt and survive in an alien and oftendangerous world. The invasion was a war betweencivilizations, pitting the fatalism and obsessiveritual of the Aztecs against soldiers fighting forriches, their lives, and eventually their souls.96p, illus (Osprey 2004) paperback, 9781841765631,$14.95. Reduced to $7.98The Spanish Main 1492–1800by René ChartrandThe Spanish Main – the Spanish possessions inthe West Indies and the Central American andMexican coast – was the envy of Englishmen,Frenchmen and Dutchmen from the 16th to the19th centuries. The Spanish built an outstandingsystem of fortifications; this title covers the threemain periods of development including the first‘castles’ in the Americas.64p (Osprey 2006) paperback, 9781846030055,$16.95. Reduced to $6.98Courtly Art of the Ancient Mayaedited by Mary MillerWritten by leading authorities and includingthirteen personal accounts of the latestgroundbreaking research, this book examinesthe royal courts and their art in their art inunprecedented depth. Color photographsthroughout and specially commissioned drawingsreveal a dazzling array of objects that still have thepower to engage and astonish observers centuriesafter their creation.304p, col illus (Thames and Hudson 2004) paperback,9780500051290, $35.00. Reduced to $14.98Ancient Oaxacaby Richard E Blanton, Gary M Feinman, StephenA Kowalewski & Linda M NicholasSome 2,500 years ago, the first state developed inthe Oaxaca Valley, modern day southern Mexico.It was centerd around the site of Monte Albánand led to significant changes in social, political,cultural and ritual terms. This book discusseshow and why this happened. Based on evidencefrom excavations and regional settlement patternsderived from archaeological surveys, the authorsdraw this information together to form a ‘succinctaccount of the causes and consequences of politicalchange in the region’. Set to become the most upto-dateauthority on the region.153p, b/w illus & pls (Cambridge University Press1999) hardback, 9780521571142, $90.00.Reduced to $14.98The McDougall Collection ofIndian Textiles from Guatemalaand Mexicoby Lara E StartAn illustrated examination of the costume,materials, equipment and accessories of thepeople of Guatemala and Mexico based on ElsieMcDougall’s rich collection from the secondquarter of the 20th century as well as her extensivenotes and photographs.114p, b/w illus, 1 col & 16 b/w pls (Pitt Rivers Museum1980, Occasional Papers on Technology) paperback,9780902793033, $20.00. Reduced to $7.98The Fall of the Ancient MayaSolving the Mysteryof the Maya Collapseby David WebsterThe Classic Maya collapse is one of the greatpuzzles of history, ranking alongside the Fall ofRome as an enigma that has intrigued scholars forgenerations. Drawing upon recent archaeologicalresearch and hieroglyphic decipherments, DavidWebster evaluates the theories and dispels themyths surrounding this contentious topic.368p (Thames and Hudson 2002) hardback,9780500051139, $34.95. Reduced to $14.98The Sowing and the DawningTermination, Dedicationand Transformation in the Archaeologicaland Ethnographic Record of Mesoamericaby Shirley MockThis collection combines archaeology andethnography to explore the Mesoamericanarchaeological record. Contributors focus on thelittle-understood material phenomena of ritualdeposits, dedicatory or votive offerings, caches,and termination events. Drawing on contemporaryMaya ethnography, the authors argue that a fewdeep structural principles unify the Mesoamericanworld view, both present and past, and applythese concepts to the deposition of dedicatory andtermination offerings in the archaeological record.320p (University of New Mexico Press 1998) hardback,9780826319838, $75.00. Reduced to $12.98Human Body, Human SpiritA Portrait of Ancient Mexicoedited by C TateThe human figure forms the core of the pre-Hispanic art of Mexico. In 1993 an exhibition inMexico city collected together ancient Mexicanfigurines representing a wide spectrum of humanexperience. Presented here in splendid color plates,this volume is a useful, beautiful and provocativedemonstration of the representation of the humanform in ancient Mexican art. With brief captionsand introductory essays.130p, 92 col pls (Michael C Carlos Museum 1993)paperback, 9780963816900, $29.95.Reduced to $9.98Languages of the Pre-ColumbianAntillesby Julian Granberry and Gary VesceliusThis work formulates a testable hypothesis of theorigins and migration patterns of the aboriginalpeoples of the Greater Antilles, the LucayanIslands, the Virgin Islands, and the northernmostof the Leeward Islands, prior to European contact.Using archaeological data as corroboration,the authors synthesize evidence that has beenavailable in scattered locales for more than 500years but which has never before been correlatedand critically examined.176p (University of Alabama Press 2004) paperback,9780817351236, $19.95. Reduced to $7.98Mexican Textile Techniquesby Chloe SayerThis book considers the principal fibers usedin modern Mexico and weaving techniques aredescribed in detail, together with methods forembellishing finished cloth such as embroideryand appliqué. The final chapter concentrates onthe wide range of garments which are still worn incontemporary Indian Mexico.64p, 41 b/w illus (Shire Publications 1988) paperback,9780852639702, $14.00. Reduced to $5.98The David Brown Book Co. 22 www.oxbowbooks.com — toll-free 1-800-791-9354