Early new world monumentality

In studies of ancient civilizations, the focus is often on the temples, palaces, and buildings created and then left behind, both because they survive and because of the awe they still inspire today. From the Mississippian mounds in the United States to the early pyramids of Peru, these monuments have been well-documented, but less attention has been paid to analyzing the logistical complexity involved in their creation. In this collection, prominent archaeologists explore the sophisticated political and logistical organizations that were required to plan and complete these architectu.

Part I: Introduction -- Considering early New World monumentality / Robert M. Rosenswig and Richard L. Burger -- Part II: North America -- Early mounds in the Lower Mississippi Valley / Joe Saunders -- Shell mounds of the middle St. Johns Basin, Northeast Florida / Kenneth E. Sassaman and Asa R. Randall -- Monumentality in eastern North America during the Mississippian Period / David G. Anderson -- Part III: Mesoamerica -- Agriculture and monumentality in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico / Robert M. Rosenswig -- Early Olmec wetland mounds: Investing energy to produce energy / Ann Cyphers and Judith Zurita-Noguera -- The origins of monumentality in ancient Guerrero, Mexico / Louise I. Paradis -- Early civilization in the Maya lowlands, monumentality, and place making: A view from the Holmul region / Francisco Estrada-Belli -- Part IV: Intermediate area -- Monumental architecture and social complexity in the intermediate area / R. Jeffrey Frost and Jeffrey Quilter -- Part V: South America -- Early mounds and monumental art in ancient Amazonia: History, scale, function, and social ecology / Anna C. Roosevelt, J. Douglas, B. Bevan, Maura Imazio Da Silveira, and L. Brown -- Why …