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Unintended Consequences? Monumentality as a Novel Experience in Formative Mesoamerica

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Abstract

To contribute to creation of a model for the initial steps in monumental construction in Formative period Mesoamerica (ca. 1100–700 B.C.), this article employs concepts from theories of structuration. It treats evidence of differential durability of construction materials as sources of insight on possible intended and unintended consequences of the construction of earthen platforms by the generations of people who lived through these new construction projects. It explores the changes in spatiality, connection to place, and materialization of time at multiple scales that these construction projects produced.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of California, Kroeber Hall #3710, Berkeley, California, 94720-3710

    Rosemary A. Joyce

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Joyce, R.A. Unintended Consequences? Monumentality as a Novel Experience in Formative Mesoamerica. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 11, 5–29 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JARM.0000014346.87569.4a

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