The archaeology of Latin America contains many unique features, both in focus and approach. This pioneering and comprehensive survey is the first overview of current themes in Latin American archaeology written solely by scholars native to the region, making their collective expertise available to an English-speaking audience. The contributors cover the most significant issues in the archaeology of Latin America, such as the domestication of camelids, the emergence of urban society in Mesoamerica, the frontier of the Inca empire, and the relatively little known archaeology of the Amazon basin. Further subjects covered include hunter-gatherer studies, the political implications of the history of archaeology in Brazil, and the French theoretical influence on the region. The book also presents an account of Latin American social archaeology, probably the region's best-known theoretical product. written solely by academics native to the region, and it makes their collected expertise available to an English-speaking audience for the firsttime. The contributors cover the most significant issues in the archaeology of Latin America, such as the domestication of camelids, the emergence of urban society in Mesoamerica, the frontier of the Inca empire, and the relatively little known archaeology of the Amazon basin.This pioneering and comprehensive survey is the first overview of current themes in Latin American archaeology written solely by academics native to the region, and it makes their collected expertise available to an English-speaking audience for the first time. The contributors cover the most significant issues in the archaeology of Latin America, such as the domestication of camelids, the emergence of urban society in Mesoamerica, the frontier of the Inca empire, and the relatively little known archaeology of the Amazon basin. This book draws together key areas of research in Latin American archaeological thought into a coherent whole; no other volume on this area has ever dealt with such a diverse range of subjects, and some of the countries examined have never before been the subject of a regional study.