This volume examines the Epiclassic period (ad 550/600900/1000) in Central Mexico, which has long been viewed as a transitional era marked by societal upheaval and the rise of independent city-states. This period has typically been characterised by shifting settlement patterns, the intensification of militarism, and increased contact with foreign regions, such as the Maya. However, recent scholarship has begun to question these assumptions, prompting renewed interest in this key period.
Drawing on a diverse range of archaeological, iconographic and linguistic evidence, the Copenhagen Epiclassic Roundtable aimed to reassess the defining features of this period and evaluate continuities and discontinuities from Classic to Postclassic times. Scholars from diverse disciplines presented evidence from various sites across Central Mexico and adjacent regions to analyse the advent of horizon markers, regional material culture, distinctive artistic styles, the emergence of new political institutions and the complex interplay between conflict and cooperation. They critically address questions regarding militarism, cultural homogeneity and exchange, geopolitical dynamics, trade networks and identity formation processes.
The twelve chapters of the volume investigate general issues, site-specific archaeology and thematic contributions as they explore the legacies of Teotihuacan and the impact of Epiclassic developments on the rise of the ensuing high cultures of Central Mexico. By emphasizing the heterogeneity of the Epiclassic landscape, this volume offers a more holistic and nuanced understanding of the complexities and enduring significance of this pivotal period of Mesoamerican history.
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introducing the Copenhagen Roundtable on the Epiclassic Period in Mesoamerica
Claudia I. Alvarado León and Christophe Helmke
Chapter 1: Disentangling the Epiclassic Claudia I. Alvarado León
Chapter 2: Closing a Cycle: Rethinking the Epiclassic for Teotihuacan
Natalia Moragas Segura
Chapter 3: Diverse Approaches to the post-Teotihuacan World: The Epiclassic
in the Toluca Valley, Central Mexican Highlands Yoko Sugiura and Rubén
Nieto Hernández
Chapter 4: New Approaches to the Epiclassic Period in the Tula Region, Mexico
Patricia Fournier G. and Fermín Sánchez-Aldana
Chapter 5: Conflict and Community during the Epiclassic Period in the Basin
of Mexico and Southern Mezquital Valley Christopher Morehart
Chapter 6: The Epiclassic in the San Juan River Region, Queretaro, Mexico: A
Kaleidoscope of Possibilities Fiorella Fenoglio Limón
Chapter 7: Epiclassic in South Central Michoacan José Luis Punzo Díaz
Chapter 8: The Monumental Architecture of Rincón de Las Flores (Zacapu,
Michoacan) in the Context of the Epiclassic Period in West-Central and
Central Mexico Grégory Pereira
Chapter 9: The Linguistic Panorama of the Epiclassic: Placing Nahuan among
the Languages of Western Mesoamerica Magnus Pharao Hansen
Chapter 10: The Identification of Exogenous Models in the Visual Culture of
the Central Highlands: Approaches to Emulation Processes in the Figurative
Systems of Cacaxtla-Xochitecatl and Xochicalco Juliette Testard
Chapter 11: From the East: Reflections on the Nature, Origin and Timing of
Maya Traits at Central Mexican Epiclassic Sites
Christophe Helmke, Jesper Nielsen, Claudia I. Alvarado León and Silvia Garza
Tarazona
Chapter 12: Redefining the Epiclassic: Synthesis, Summary and Future
Prospects C. I. Alvarado León, F. Fenoglio Limón, C. Helmke, C. Morehart,
M. Pharao Hansen and J. Testard
Resúmenes
Author Biographies
Claudia I. Alvarado León obtained her PhD in Mesoamerican Studies from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Copenhagen in the Central Mexican Writing Systems and Calendars project. With over fifteen years as researcher in the Xochicalco project, she focuses on socio-political development processes and their impact on the built environment. Currently, she teaches at the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia and El Colegio de Morelos.
Christophe Helmke is Associate Professor of American Indian Languages and Cultures at the Institute of Cross-cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Since 1996, he has participated in and led excavations, archaeological reconnaissance and epigraphic documentation at a variety of sites in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. Between 2019 and 2024 he served as co-Principal Investigator of the Central Mexican Writing Systems and Calendars project, funded by the Velux Foundations.
