This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Wilk, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Miss Universe, the Olmec and the Valley of Oaxaca

Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, USA wilkr{at}indiana.edu

One of the most fundamental problems in archaeology is interpreting the spatial distribution of artifacts and styles. There is a particularly long tradition of argument about the meaning of widespread art styles and artifacts assemblages, in other words, the spread of archaeological ‘cultures’ or ‘horizon styles’. In Mesoamerica, the spread of ‘Olmec’ and ‘Olmecoid’ artifacts, ritual practices and iconography is a case that has generated many explanatory models. In this article, I draw on studies of modern cultural practices like beauty pageants and the marketing of consumer products to suggest some alternative modes of archaeological interpretation. In particular, the idea of ‘common difference’ may provide a richer and more complex way of thinking about the spread of styles and practices.

Key Words: anthropology • archaeology • diffusion • Mesoamerica • Olmec

Journal of Social Archaeology, Vol. 4, No. 1, 81-98 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1469605304039851


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Bloxam Miners and mistresses: Middle Kingdom mining on the margins Journal of Social Archaeology, June 1, 2006; 6(2): 277 - 303. [Abstract] [PDF]