Resources
Resources for Teachers and Students
Alva, W and Donnan, C. 1993. Royal Tombs of Sipan. Hong Kong: Pearl River Printing Company.
The detailed portrayal of Moche artifacts from three royal Moche tombs allows the reader to experience informative text and striking pictures. Fans of archaeology will love the combination of illustrations, photos of unrestored artifacts, and photos of artifacts restored.
Bernstein, P. 2000. The Power of Gold. The History of an Obsession. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
As the title suggests this 432-page work traces the fascination with gold from its earliest to most current function. It traces the development of the magical, religious, and artistic qualities of gold through its development into coinage, money, and the gold standard. This is interesting background reading on something that has retained value over the ages and is still highly regarded by teenagers and adults alike in fashion-"bling." Pages 122-132 tell of Pizaro's preoccupation with Peruvian gold and how he and his men ruthlessly extorted it from the Inca and his subjects.
Cock, G and Block, I. May 2002. Inca Rescue The Race to Save Inca Mummies, National Geographic.
Under a present day school yard, the burial site of over 2,000 ancient Peruians described in the article contains an interesting mummy called the "Cotton King". Buried with over 300-pounds of raw cotton, he is interred with a child and other artifacts. This is an excellent source to use in conjunction with the National Geographic website. The website has interactive pages about the mummies discovered at this site. There is also a documentary that can be purchased from National Geographic.
Cohen, John 1980 A Continuous Warp of 5,000 Years American Craft Council.
Cohen's short documentary film presents the importance of weaving to Peruvian culture. The film explores the excavation and study of ancient Peruvian fabric that is almost 5,000 years old. Like the warp, which holds the loom and fabric together, weaving is the thread that binds Peru's past and present together.
Daniels, H. and Zemelman S. 2004. Subjects Matter-Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.
I use this text as a source for content reading strategies. I find Chapter Five, Tools for Thinking: Reading Strategies Across the Curriculum to be beneficial.
Fagan, B. 1991. Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade The Americas Before Columbus. London: Thames and Hudson, LTD.
Brian Fagan's book vividly portrays the pre-Columbian Americas as well as the cultures that clashed with the Spanish in the wake of Columbus. Engaging chapters describe the culture of the Aztecs, Incas, first Americans, Olmecs, Maya, Toltecs, Chavin, Moche, Nazca, Chimor, Pueblos, and Moundbuilders.
Guaman Poma de Ayala, Felipe. Nueva coronica y buen gobierno. 1615. Gks 2232, 4towww.kb.dk/elib/mss/poma
This website contains the illustrated manuscript of Guaman Poma's famous work, his letter to King Felipe of Spain. This is the English translation by Rolena Adorno of selections from El Primer Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno. Translation copyrighted by Rolena Adorno 1990.
Murra, John V. 1962. Cloth and Its Function in the Inca State. New Haven: Yale University
Murra's article shows the extensive function of cloth in all aspects of the Inca state. It describes how cloth was awarded as welfare, how special garments were worn by nobility, and special fashion was worn for a variety of occasions. I found the description of funeral cloth useful for my discussion about burials.
Pasztory, Esther. Thinking with Things. Toward a New Vision of Art. Austin: University of Austin Press.
This is a critical view of defining art. It presents a brief chronology of the definition of art as well as analysis of modern definitions. Suggest that art and non art cannot be separated. Both are things with forms, functions, and meanings.
Power, S. 2004. Early Art of the Southeastern Indians. Feathered Serpents and Winged Beings. London: The University of Georgia Press.
This coloring book has outlines of early art of the Southeastern Indians. Coloring is a good hands-on activity for a variety of purposes.
Saunders, N. 1999. Biographies of Brilliance: Pearls, Transformations of Matter and being, c. AD 1492. World Archaeology. Oct. Vol. 31, No.2, pp.243-257.
Saunders uses the trade of the pearl to differentiate the irreconcilable valuation of glittering, brilliant objects between Europeans and Amerindians.
Saunders, N. 1989. People of the Jaguar; the living spirit of ancient America. London: Souvenir.
Saunders work traces the appearance and importance of jaguar symbolism throughout central and South America from ancient times to the present. There are 166 pages of text with ample numbers of illustrations, photographs of sites, figurines, and wall art.
Saunders, N. 1994.Predators of Culture: Jaguar Symbolism and Mesoamerican Elites. World Archaeology. June, Vol.26, No. 1, pp.104-117.
While I did not read this resource, it looks like a concise report linking jaguar symbolism and elites in Mesoamerica.
Somerville, B. 2005. Machu Picchu City in the Clouds. New York: Scholastic.
It is written for young readers but it is a really concise guide to the story of Machu Picchu. This would be a great book for lower level readers.
Wright, R. and Zegarra, A.2004. The Machu Picchu Guidebook. Boulder: Johnson Books.
It's a travel guide book that is 188 pages. It's full of old and new photographs and illustrations. It includes a fold out artist's illustration of what Machu Picchu may have looked like on the summer solstice June 21, 1530. Some fun facts include the climate, how long it takes to walk from site to site, and practical advice on dressing, eating, and drinking.
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