ANTH 2210

This course will explore the history of the Indigenous Peoples of North, Central, and South America, with a focus on the knowledge that can be gained from archaeology. Contemporary Indigenous interpretations will be interwoven with the archaeological record to give students an understanding of the great time depth and diversity of Indigenous cultural heritage in the Americas. This course will critically examine archaeology in the Americas. It will include the role archaeology has played in colonialism, the relationships of descendant communities to archaeology, the ethical problems specific to archaeology in the Americas, and the influence of past and present archaeological narratives on Indigenous Peoples and society at large. Examples of some of the topics covered are: the origins and antiquity of people in the Americas, the diversity of lifeways and human-environment relationships, the transition to agriculture and sedentism, the evolution of urban societies, and the emergence of empires. Some of the cultures or geographical areas may include, but are not limited to: Norte Chico, Moche, Inka, Olmec, Teotihuacán, Classic Maya, Aztec (Mexica), Amazonia, Hopewell, Mississippian, and Ancestral Puebloan.