Treasures of Ancient Mexico

This study is composed of three parts: Prehispanic Archaeology, the European Conquest and Ethnography. The first section represents a very lengthy period of time and for this reason it has been divided up into three chapters based on the different levels of social complexity most characteristic of Mexico, they are: 1) Hunters and Gatherers, 2) Farmers, and 3) The State.

The second part refers to the Spanish Conquest and to the changes it brought about in the villages of the area in question.

The third part is an ethnographic approach to the present day indigenous groups, emphasizing the survival of prehispanic and colonial cultural patterns. The analysis of these three societies will be made taking into account the following fundamentals:

A) The Economic process, composed of all the productive activities.

B) The Legislative-Political process, that is, the mecanism of public administration.

C) The Ideological process, as portrayed in religion, magic and in art.

Social changes are studied as an internal process of change represented by the evolution of production relations. Originally, these production relations came about between two groups of the same village who were distinguished from each other only because they carried out different productive activities, such as: hunting and gathering, which do not imply class differences.