ASB 223 Buried Civilizations of the Americas: An Introduction to
Archaeology
Archaeology is the primary source of information about many of the most spectacular cultural
achievements of the Americas. This course introduces archaeology through an examination of
several of these ancient civilizations as understood through their architecture and artifacts.
Subjects covered for Middle America include the Aztec, Teotihuacan, the Maya, and the Olmec;
for South America, the Inca, the Moche, the Nasca Culture, and Chavín; and for North America,
Chaco, Hohokam and Casas Grandes in the Southwest and the Mississippian mound builders in
the eastern US. More generally, the course leads to enriched understandings of social inequality
and cultural differences and how the past, in important ways, structures the modern world.