Thousands of years before the rule of the Inca, the Tiwanaku civilization emerged from the southern shores of Lake Titicaca and reached across the borders of present day Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. The city of Tiwananku is recognized by many Andean scholars as a major center of political, economic, and religious life, and is marked as one of the most important civilizations of the pre-Colombian Americas. Reaching its height from 500 to 900A.D, only its impressive stone monuments remain as evidence of their influence that are now protected archaeological sites. Author John Wayne Janusek is associate professor of anthropology at Vanderblit University and has conducted extensive archaeological research in the Andes for the past two decades. On the topic of the ancient Tiwanaku, Janusek attempts to gather a wealth of past and current research to explore the civilization in its geological and cultural setting, along with its raise and violent fall to power, and its vast political influence. The author approaches the information in the novel from a theoretical approach that highlights the importance of the Tiwanaku’s environmental settings, the mundane daily life of its citizens, its extensive economic ventures, and religious prestige. In the concluding segments of the book, Janusek argues that the study of the Andean past can shed light on current national ideologies and geopolitics worldwide.
The novel itself is divided into nine chapters, of which there are sub-segments that aid the author in addressing specific concepts in the chapter. Chapter one is entitled, “Unveiling Tiwanaku’s Mystery” and details the history of the archaeological research conducted on the civilization, as well as an overview of their cultural development. The a...
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...ression of data found in the area and an expansion of what is yet to be uncovered. The illustrations, maps, and contemporary photographs help to solidify the existing research presented in the book. These pros aside, I did find a fault in his reliance on the Tiwanaku as the main source of influence in both their artwork and those of the Wari. Although he does briefly mention Wari influences in the art styles found in Moquegua, yet this influence might have extended further into the Tiwanaku center because of the interactions and exchange between the two cultures. Despite this minor fault, in my opinion, this book serves as a great introduction for those interested in the antiquity of Tiwankau, providing a benchmark for a new generation of Andean scholars.
Works Cited
Janusek, J. Wayne.
2008 Ancient Tiwanaku. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, England
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Between the years of 1985 to 1987 Conklin spent a total of 19 months living amongst the Wari’ tribes. Her primary source of gathering information was to interview the Wari’ about their own culture and history. Performing return trips to the Amazonian society in 1991, 1999, and 2000 Conklin was able to confirm her gathered information by asking different Wari’ about their beliefs and cultural history. Amongst Conklin’s interview subjects were dozens of elderly Wari’ who could remember the life before the outside world had become a major influence. They c...
The first major reason for writing the manuscript illustrates the difficulties that Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala felt during the colonial period. As a young man, he migrated from an Inca state to a newly conquered area by the Incas. He settled there with privileges given to him by the Inca Empire to teach the superior ways of their culture. But with the arrival of the Europeans in 1532, these new settlers like Guaman Poma were viewed as outsiders. The situation worsened when Viceroy Francisco de Toledo fixed an administration that divided the indigenous community into two groups: native born members and outsiders. When Guaman Poma started defending his inherited land, he presented himself as a native Andean and as a Spanish appointee. Since he collaborated with the Spanish colonial regime as a Church assistant, he considered himself as a man with rights, loyal to the Crown. During this time, Fe...
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In the essay “Cahokia: A Pre-Columbian American City” by Timothy R. Pauketat many new ideas and perspectives were brought to the attention of the reader. The article/essay portrayed many aspects of the Cahokian culture and civilization and why it played such a pivotal role in the Native American economy, political system, and religious deity. In addition, the article gave insight as to how the grand city began its decline and eventual fall due to its many debacles and travesties that commenced.
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Napoleon Chagnon has spent about 60 months since 1964 studying the ‘foot people’ of the Amazon Basin known as the Yanomamo. In his ethnography, Yanomamo, he describes all of the events of his stay in the Venezuelan jungle. He describes the “hideous” appearance of the Yanomamo men when first meeting them, and their never-ending demands for Chagnon’s foreign goods, including his food. There are many issues that arise when considering Chagnon’s Yanomamo study. The withholding of genealogical information by the tribesmen, and how Chagnon was able to obtain his information is an interesting and significant aspect of this study. Why did Chagnon feel that this genealogical information was important? And was Chagnon’s choice to study the Yanomamo, despite their hesitancy to cooperate, a wise and ethical one?
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Ponting describes the historical background of Easter Island, which is a small island far off the coast of South America in the Pacific Ocean. Despite its desolate nature it is inhabited and the lives of this population show how resource use is important to survival both of the people living there and the ecosystem itself. The uses for the island varied over time but one period had evidence of a modern society despite the surrounding periods of primitive behavior. More than 600 stone statues were dispersed over the island. These sculptures had to been created by a society other than the more barbarous clans. However despite the advanced level of skill this society had it died out, showing that their skills were not sufficient to ensure their continued survival (Ponting, 1991).
In many U.S homes, as is the custom in most western cultures, the first beverage consumed at the start of every day is coffee. From its origins in Ethiopia, the strong black liquid has evolved from its modest beginnings to become an art form, a gourmet luxury, and the addiction of millions. The documentary Black Gold directed by Nic and Marc Francis addresses issues that rarely cross the minds of its consumers: who produces the coffee, and how does the coffee we drink directly affect the livelihood of those farmers who grow it? The documentary highlights the poverty that plagues Ethiopian coffee farmers by contrasting the impoverished African cities with the wealth of the western countries that control the market in order to gain the highest profit from their commodity. This essay will seek to analyze the racial and economic implications of the documentary using the theoretical works of sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B Du Bois, with specific concentration on his concepts of The Color Line, The Veil, Double Consciousness, and False Consciousness. The concluding portion of the essay will include a critique on Du Bois’s work from a feminist perspective with respects to his inadequacy in including women as a part of his notion of The Talented Tenth, and how his views on African-American women do not fit the cultural context of the women in Africa.