Michael E. Moseley

Described as a ‘masterly study’ and ‘an outstanding volume’ on its first publication, The Incas and Their Ancestors quickly established itself as the best general introduction to the cultures and civilization of ancient Peru. Now this classic text has been fully updated for the revised edition, giving new clarity to the origins of the Incas in the wake of extensive modern research on America’s largest native empire. Copious illustrations display the artistic sophistication and technological expertise of these ancient peoples. Examining the most recent discoveries form the latest excavations, this volume remains the most authoritative survey of the great South American civilizations now available, of equal fascination for student, scholar or traveller.

A remarkable range of ancient societies and economies flourished in the environmentally diverse coastal regions of Pacific Latin America. This first ever synthesis from a Pacific perspective describes the archaeological investigations recently undertaken in the coastal littoral. Studying the similarities, and the many differences, of these varied prehistoric cultures can help us understand some central issues in archaeology--to what extent were cultural variations caused by different historical traditions, environmental conditions, and interactions with neighboring peoples, and how do civilizations arise? In this volume, specialists explain their latest findings in terms of archaic period adaptations, the development and spread of agriculture, the beginnings of sedentism, the formative periods of civilization, and the origins of socio-political inequality. The essays report on archaeological research in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru--an are extending from the Marismas region of coastal Mexico to Chile's north coast.