The greatness of Palenque as an archaeological site is principally due to its sculpture, and the study by Beatriz de la Fuente is a survey and appreciation of this sculpture from the point of view of the historian of art. No other classic Maya city offers so rich a sculptural repertory. She examines the material in reference to Maya civilization as a whole and summarizes the history of modern knowledge of Palenque. (The site, discovered about 1773, was known to Humboldt, Dupaix, Waldeck, and Stephens before the modern investigations began.) The analysis of Palenque sculpture by style and material and architectural connection is accompanied by a chronological reconstruction of four periods of the seventh and eighth centuries. The author properly emphasizes the relief sculptures with their controlled compositions and fine free lines. Characteristic is the standing or sitting human figure surrounded by glyphs and symbolic detail. Excellent plates of the reliefs and other sculptural pieces, including the celebrated Palenque cross, complete the volume.
Noguera’s work on Mesoamerican ceramics is a technical manual, not directly concerned with aesthetic value but highly aware of quality as a criterion for understanding the subject. Since the early stratigraphic studies by Vaillant and others, ceramic analysis has been the outstanding technique for identifying archaeological periods and cultures of Mexico. The exceptional durability of clay and the near universality of objects made from it are what give ceramic ware its great importance to the archaeologist. The objects occur stratigraphically in the earth. Their styles and types of manufacture determine the boundaries of cultures and subcultures. As trade objects they reveal the routes of exchange and the influence of one people upon another. As everyone familiar with modern archaeology knows, a remarkably detailed history can be extracted from ceramic remains.
Noguera begins with the general subjects of stratigraphy, excavation, manufacture, and decoration. He tells how an object should be scientifically described so that the description will be meaningful for study. He then catalogues all known types of Mesoamerican ware by time and region from the pre-classic to the Aztec in central Mexico and including Mixtec, the Gulf coast, the Huasteca, the West and North, and the whole Maya zone. Thus a large area is covered and enormous erudition demonstrated. The work will be most useful to practicing archaeologists as a handbook and guide. For others it will have utility as a work of reference and as an up-to-date survey of a rapidly changing subject. At every point Noguera has tried to provide clear and meaningful descriptions of ceramic types and their differences. He has added tabulated comparative sequences both for individual regions and for the whole of Mesoamerica. Photographic illustrations and drawings are well reproduced, and there is an extensive selected bibliography.
