- Paperback: 258 pages
- Publisher: University of Texas Press (1 Oct 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0292726244
- ISBN-13: 978-0292726246
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 2 cm
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
The first comprehensive study of Olmec foodways and subsistence patterns and their relation to the development of institutionalized leadership.
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2 reviews
Achtung to the Title
6 Feb 2011
Format:Hardcover
If you consider carefully the title of the book, you will see that the author developed more or less what she said it would.It's a sort of a monography on the subject, and very condensed by the data from two sites that the author presents. But this is very positive in a sense: she gives a restricted but detailed explanation of the evolution of conditions and practices in the tuxtla area, without playing the "big explanation game" that less precise minds like to peer into, specially non professionals.In a few words: it's an extended scientific article on the subject. But I was also deceived by that last part of the title "..Olmec World..".Two archaeological sites will never be a "World".If the title were "Farming,Hunting,...at La Joya and Bezuapan sites" a nice 5 stars the book could also receive..as the author receives anyway.
'A' for imagination, 'B' for topic, 'C' for lack of research
23 Nov 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I expected a different type of study on food in the Olmec world, however, the approach here was not totally beyond my needs. In general I found the research extremely limited in comparison to what might have been accomplished had other factors been considered at all, or considered thoroughly - e.g. stela and buildings, to glean information about the place of food in the public display (artifacts)- and of the labor capacity needed to build the various mounds and monuments to determine what food demands - labor and surplus - were placed on the villages. The work did not effectively, if at all, address the type of political makeup of the society besides looking for `elites' and their demands from the outside. That the people united to engage in intensive farming, build villages (including housing), engage in crafts, trade and purchases indicates some lever of social-organization for which some examination and analysis would have been helpful.
The author presented theories, hers and of others, that were ill-suited to understanding the Olmec - e.g. there was the presumption that control of the population meant there must have been `domination of the population' - a structure rooted in conflict. Yet, the presumption was contradicted by the author with evidence to show that the people were, and remained, `egalitarian'.
Having limited the scope of research to the Olmec society as completely indigenous marred almost to a fault the outcome of this study. For example, no qualitative answer as to why the people began `intensive farming' was provided, nor the mechanism for organizing a village, or united villages. The research would have been helped if there was at least a comparison or contrast of the two `hamlets' studied to one or more of the major centers - La Venta, San Lorenzo, or Tres Zapotes - to have some idea as to whether these smaller villages were consistent in their food focus of significantly different, etc.
The book in many ways is a disappointment having missed so many opportunities. Lastly, its clear that the author did not do her homework in some areas - especially in understanding social organization - and instead tried to fudge her way - and was rather poor at that.
The topic is worth a critic study and should be properly completed by the author.
The author presented theories, hers and of others, that were ill-suited to understanding the Olmec - e.g. there was the presumption that control of the population meant there must have been `domination of the population' - a structure rooted in conflict. Yet, the presumption was contradicted by the author with evidence to show that the people were, and remained, `egalitarian'.
Having limited the scope of research to the Olmec society as completely indigenous marred almost to a fault the outcome of this study. For example, no qualitative answer as to why the people began `intensive farming' was provided, nor the mechanism for organizing a village, or united villages. The research would have been helped if there was at least a comparison or contrast of the two `hamlets' studied to one or more of the major centers - La Venta, San Lorenzo, or Tres Zapotes - to have some idea as to whether these smaller villages were consistent in their food focus of significantly different, etc.
The book in many ways is a disappointment having missed so many opportunities. Lastly, its clear that the author did not do her homework in some areas - especially in understanding social organization - and instead tried to fudge her way - and was rather poor at that.
The topic is worth a critic study and should be properly completed by the author.
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