Identity, Feasting and the Archaeology of the Greater Southwest

These sixteen essays, plus an intoduction, originated at the Eighth Biennial Meeting of the Southwest Symposium held in Tucson, Arizona in 2002, which argued that archaeology could reveal as much about identity and feasting as more traditional anthropological methods. The essays largely comprise case studies from across the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Contributors discuss the ways in which archaeology can identify social identity, including the evidence of material culture and architecture, as well as the signs of cultural interactions between different groups. The contributors show how the archaeological evidence of feasting can also be used to explain the social and political roles of public feasts and gatherings. The final section focuses on the Chihuahuan people of North Mexico. Archaeological plans, maps and illustrations of artefacts complement these scholarly and well-presented essays.