Landscapes of the Itza: Archaeology and Art History at Chichen Itza and Neighboring Sites - Hardcover

by Linnea Wren (Editor), Cynthia Kristan-Graham (Editor), Travis Nygard (Editor)

Chichen Itza, the legendary capital and trading hub of the late Maya civilization, continues to fascinate visitors and researchers with unanswered questions about its people, rulers, rituals, economics, religion, politics, and even chronology. Addressing many of these current debates, contributors to Landscapes of the Itza question when the city's construction was completed, what the purposes of its famous pyramid and other buildings were, whether the city maintained strict territorial borders, and how the city's influence was felt in smaller neighboring settlements such as Popola, Ichmul de Morley, and Ek Balam. Special attention is given to the site's visual culture, including its architecture, epigraphy, ceramics, sculptures, and murals. This volume is a much-needed update on recent archaeological and art historical work being done at Chichen Itza, offering new ways of understanding the site and its role in the Yucatan landscape.

Author Biography

Linnea Wren, professor emerita of art history at Gustavus Adolphus College, is the editor of the two-volume Perspectives on Western Art. Cynthia Kristan-Graham, former instructor of art history at the Atlanta College of Art and an instructor at Auburn University, is coeditor of Memory Traces: Analyzing Sacred Space at Five Mesoamerican Sites. Travis Nygard is associate professor of art at Ripon College. Kaylee Spencer is associate professor of art at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.