ANTH 214 - Introduction to Mesoamerican Prehistory and Archaeology

1. Discuss the origins of domestication, agriculture, and sedentary communities in Mexico and Central America in prehistory and their role in the formation of socially complex, state-level societies in the region.
2. Explain the cultural, historical, and environmental causes that led to the rise, decay, and collapse of complex societies in Mexico and Central America.
3. Discuss the various institutions of the state-level societies of Mesoamerica, including religion, sociopolitical organization, art, and literature.
4. Describe the important technological innovations in architecture and agriculture devised by the ancient Mesoamericans.