Pre-Columbian Foodways: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Food, Culture, and Markets in Ancient Mesoamerica

The significance of food and feasting in prehistory has been a heavily researched topic in the literature, particularly in relation to early agriculture and the domestication of plants and animals. Likewise, anthropologists have demonstrated the symbolic complexity of food and its preparation, and the social importance of feasting in contemporary and historical societies. The Editors' comprehensive approach unites various fields--from the genetics of specific domesticates to the symbolism of cultigens in art and myth. Topics are organized thematically into three sections, giving an overview of food and feasting practices in Mesoamerica, detailed enthnographic and isotopic evidence of these practice, and a larger discussion of the symbolic meanings of food rituals, iconography, and epigraphy. The resulting volume provides a thorough, interdisciplinary resource to understanding food, feasting, and cultural practices in Mesoamerica.