At the time of the Spanish Conquest, Aztec Tenochtitlan in Central Mexico was one of the most populous cities in the world, a city the Conquistadors themselves said was "like an enchanted vision", a city of grand pyramids, plazas, palaces, marketplaces, and hydraulic works surrounded by vast numbers of houses of its inhabitants and their gardens. In fact Tenochititlan was only the latest of many urban societies that flourished in what we call Middle America or Mesoamerica before the arrival of the Spanish. Considerable knowledge has come to light through systematic archaeological investigation literally uncovering key information about the technological, social, economic, ideological, and other aspects of these ancient cities, some of which have striking parallels to modern city life. Dr. Healan’s talk will focus on Tenochtitlan and the two earlier cities of Teotihuacan and Tula, its most recent predecessor where he has been involved in various investigations over a period of 50-plus years.
Dr. Dan M. Healan is Professor Emeritus, Tulane University. A native Atlantan, he received his B.A.in Anthropology from Georgia State University and his Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Missouri with a specialization in Archaeology. While a student, he conducted archaeological research in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States before shifting his focus to Mesoamerica. For over 50 years he has periodically conducted archaeological investigations at Tula, the ancient capital of the pre-Aztec Toltec civilization. He has directed archaeological research projects funded by the National Science Foundation at Tula and in West Mexico, and has served as a field and technical consultant to both U.S. and Mexican archaeological projects. He is author and co-author of several books and numerous other publications on Tula, lithic technology, and quantitative methods of data analysis.
