In the Realm of 8 Deer : Archaeology of the Mixtec Codices

"In the Realm of 8 Deer" is a multi-disciplinary book on the Mixtec codices, eight pictorial manuscripts that survived the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

The codices, which represent the longest continuous documented history of Indian America, depict epic stories and genealogies of rulers of the Mixtec kingdoms that dominated the highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico, between AD 1000 and 1521.

One of these tales is the dramatic story of the rise to power of Lord 8 Deer, founder of the second dynasty at Tilantongo.

Using the codices as a guide, Bruce E. Byland and John M.D. Pohl surveyed archaeological settlements in the Tilantongo and Jaltepec valleys.

There they identified specific localities for events, such as the dynastic conflict called the War of Heaven and 8 Deer's usurpation of power, described in the codices.

Through interviews in the field, they discovered that Mixtec people in the region still know many of the place-names found in the codices and recount traditional stories associated with them.

Caves and other sacred places of the past continue to be venerated.

Previous studies of the codices have emphasised chronology and the identification of the principal dynasties. By integrating such information with archaeological and ethnohistorical research, this book shows that the codices depict real events.

They offer an indigenous perspective on the transition from the great urban centres of the Classic period to the factionalised domains of petty kings in the Post-classic period.

Three colour and 119 black-and-white illustrations and 19 maps accompany the text, which should interest Mesoamerican archaeologists, ethnohistorians and art historians.