Biocultural Consequences of Contact in Mexico

Examining the long-lasting effectsof European colonization on Mexican populationsThe Biocultural Consequences ofContact in Mexico exploreshow Mexican populations have been shaped both culturally and biologically bythe arrival of Spanish conquistadors and the years following the defeat of theAztec empire in 1521. Contributors to this volume draw on a diverse set ofmethods from archaeology, bioarchaeology, genetics, and history to examine theresponse to European colonization, providing evidence for the resilience of theMexican people in the face of tumultuous change.Essays focus on Central Mexico,Yucatan, and Oaxaca, providing a cross-regional perspective, and they highlightMexican scholars work and viewpoints. They examine the effects of the castassystemwhich the colonizers used to organize society according to parentage andthe social construction of raceon individuals and groups access to power,social mobility, health, and mate choice. Contributors illuminate the poorlyunderstood extent that this systemand the national identity of mestizaje that replaced itcaused inequality and the structural violence of stress and healthdisparities, as well as genetic admixture.Five hundred years after the Spanishfirst clashed with Aztec forces and began to influence modern Mexico, thisvolume adds to discussions of colonialism, the reconstruction of biosocialrelationships, and the work of decolonization. Students and scholars inanthropology and history will gain insights into how human populations transformand adapt in the wake of major historical events that result in migration,demographic change, and social upheaval.Contributors: Josefina Bautista Martnez | Alfredo Coppa | Andrea Cucina | HeatherJ. H. Edgar | Blanca Z. Gonzlez-Sobrino | Mara Teresa Jan Esquivel | HaagenD. Klaus | Michaela Lucci | Abigail Meza-Pealoza | Emily Moes | Corey S.Ragsdale | Katelyn M. Rusk | Robert C. Schwaller | Julie K. Wesp | CathyWillermetA volumein the series Bioarchaeological Interpretations of the Human Past: Local,Regional, and Global Perspectives, edited by Clark Spencer Larsen