In this fascinating volume, 16 scholars take a detailed look at the great plazas of prehistoric Mesoamerican cities including such magnificent examples as Teotihuacán, Palenque, and Monte Albán. Traditionally, archaeologists have studies in great detail the pyramids, temples and ballcourts that surround great plazas, but not the plaza themselves. Lacking abundant artifact assemblages and formal properties, plazas were considered almost sterile territory for investigation. This work takes that thinking to task and produces much knowledge on the purpose and history of the plaza.
Clearly the plazas of Mesoamerica were very important places. Many were precisely laid out with some clear purposes in mind, and many of the surrounding buildings had inscriptions and monuments that played an important role in the overall scheme of things. Clearly they were the focal points of public life. This applies to both small villages and huge cities. One of the most formal plazas at Teotihuacán could hold some 99,000 people.
In this volume, 11 chapters are organized around three central themes—plaza construction and public events, plazas in broader social contexts, and plazas and images. Plaza study remains challenging and serious excavations are still quite limited. But a picture is emerging of plazas as dynamic spaces for the creation and negotiation of social relations.
Mesoamerican Plazas is an introduction to a very important topic of research. Well illustrated and written, it successfully establishes the outline of current research as well as the challenges for a new generation of fieldwork.
