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Colonialism and the process of state expansion into new territories far from the capitol and mother country have occurred for thousands of years across the globe. Within the American Southwest, colonial encounters and the processes of colonialism played out in notably divergent manners through time and space. The chapters in New Mexico and the Pimería Alta: The Colonial Period in the American Southwest, focus on the two major areas of the Southwest that witnessed the most intensive and sustained colonial encounters: the New Mexico Colony and the Pimería Alta. Although these broad areas share a similar early colonial history, the particular mix of players, socio-historical trajectories, and social relations within each area both led to, and were transformed by, markedly diverse colonial encounters. Understanding these different mixes of players, history, and social relations provides the foundation for conceptualizing the enormous changes wrought by colonialism throughout the region.

Several different cultures — Iroquois, Coosa, Anasazi, Hohokam, San Agustín, Wankarani, Formative Gulf Coast Mexico, and Formative, Classic, Colonial, and contemporary Maya — are analyzed through the lens of household archaeology in concrete, data-driven case studies. "This excellent book should be heavily used by anyone with an interest in household archaeology." —North American Archaeologist "There are a number of excellent studies that scholars interested in household archaeology will find highly useful." —Journal of Anthropological Research "This collection underscores the importance of household archaeology to the study of social dynamics." —Choice "This volume is an impressive one. . . . In an era in which household archaeology has become essential to archaeological praxis, this volume is indeed essential reading." —Cambridge Archaeological Journal