Shaft Tombs and Figures in West Mexican Society: A Reassessment

A little more academic than I expected. Not the fault of description.

Very good book !Essential for the knowledge of those very important cultures in West Mexico !

If you have any interest in ancient Mexico this is a "must have" book. The collection of essays, together with the companion publications, are an astounding achievement in Mesoamerican Studies. The editors have brought together the most advanced research into what has otherwise been a profound mystery for over a century. Who created these remarkable works of ceramic art? Why did their creators choose to be buried in shaft tombs? How were these ceramic masterpieces displayed? How were they used? The answers are finally becoming clear through the research presented here. Especially notable are the contributions by an international group of scholars working in the region for over twenty years. I had an opportunity to see the exhibition at the Gilcrease Museum and it is a "gem" - informative, colorful and a refreshing representation of this world famous artistic tradition. This is because most of the works come from the Gilcrease collections and have never been put on public display. What is really remarkable is the close coordination between the exhibition and this publication because they were designed together by assistant curator Cheryl Smallwood Roberts. One has a real sense of "taking home the show." The entire project is lavish in appearance, a testament to what can be accomplished between a resourceful group of colleagues with complimentary skills. Christopher Beekman is the leading U.S. authority on the ancient civilizations of West Mexico. Robert Pickering has not only worked in West Mexico but also with the interconnected cultures of adjacent regions including the American Southeast.