title: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central America 3-Volume Set
author: David Carrasco
description: The standard, landmark reference publication for Mesoamerica, the 16-volume Handbook of Middle American Indians, was completed in 1976 and supplemented with thematic volumes during the 1980s. With the groundbreaking discoveries and fresh interpretations of the last two decades, a new work was needed. Various encyclopedias have covered parts of Mesoamerica's story, addressing either its history and politics (Cambridge History of Latin America, Cambridge Univ.) or prehistory and archaeology (Encyclopedia of Ancient Mesoamerica, Facts On File, 1996). Carrasco (history of religions, Princeton Univ.) and a stellar editorial board have produced a worthy successor to the Handbook with this extensive three-volume work, which employs 300 international authors to compose 617 lengthy articles addressing biographies, general contextual essays, and very specific topics. Each article is signed, and the up-to-date annotated references testify to use of the latest scholarship. The geographic area covered includes Mexico through southern Mesoamerica. Though emphasis is placed on the past, contemporary cultural groups are also covered. Care was taken to use local conventions for the names of indigenous peoples as well as referencing more commonly known names. The encyclopedia also incorporates many illustrations, though it does lack maps showing the location of people and places. This superb work should grace collections in art, archaeology, religious studies, anthropology, Native American studies, and Latin American history. Joyce L. Ogburn, Univ. of Washington Libs., Seattle <br />Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  The Beginnings of
  
  
  Mesoamerican
  
  
  Civilization
  
  
  **INTER-REGIONAL INTERACTION**
  
  
  **AND THE OLMEC**
  
  
  **Robert M. Rosenswig**
  
  
  University at Albany – SUNY
  
  
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  **THE BEGINNINGS OF MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATION**
  
  
  Mesoamerica is one of several cradles of civilization in the world. In this
  book, Robert M. Rosenswig proposes that we understand Early Formative
  Mesoamerica as an archipelago of complex societies that interacted with one
  another over long distances and that were separated by less sedentary peoples.
  These early “islands” of culture shared an Olmec artistic aesthetic, beginning
  approximately 1250 bce (uncalibrated), that first defined Mesoamerica as an
  area of culture. Rosenswig frames the Olmec world from the perspective of the
  Soconusco area of Pacific Chiapas and Guatemala.
  
  
  The disagreements about Early Formative society that have raged over the past
  thirty years focus on the natur