Welcome to Ancient Mesoamerica's Fall issue of Volume 22. First and foremost, we welcome Kenneth G. Hirth as an additional co-editor. Ken joined us in August, along with his editorial assistant Kirk Straight. He is especially well-qualified for the task, having served as an energetic member of the Editorial Board since we began publication in 1990. He has reviewed countless manuscripts, has authored or coauthored numerous articles with the journal, and organized two Special Sections: the first on Xochicalco (Volume 6, 1995) and more recently on lithic economy (Volume 20, 2009). His main research interests are the development of complex society and the structure of ancient economy, and he has conducted research in central Mexico, the Gulf Coast, highland Guatemala, and central Honduras. Ken brings his vast experience and knowledge of Mesoamerican archaeology and anthropology, as well as business acumen—we are very pleased with these new additions to the editorial staff.
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Ken Hirth writes:
“Ancient Mesoamerica is the world's leading research journal for scholarship on pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. My goals as one of its co-editors are threefold. The first is to increase the volume of high quality submissions to AM to ensure that the journal remains at the forefront of our research field. Second, I want to improve the speed and efficiency of manuscript review so that we meet our production deadlines in a timely fashion. Third, and most importantly, I want to encourage the publication of articles that promote the discussion and debate of cutting edge research issues. Ancient Mesoamerica has always sought to strike a balance between the publication of the data on which our research depends, and the theories and ideas that shape the way we interpret them. I hope to continue that tradition as a co-editor of AM.”
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With regard to business issues, you will notice that this is the third issue published in 2011, as the editorial staff has been able to catch up on scheduled production. In fact, due to the significant increase in manuscript submissions in recent years we have made some structural changes that should improve production efficiency (not the least of which is the inclusion of a third co-editor). Along with the enormous increase in submissions is news that circulation has increased by 16% in 2010 alone, with emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. A significant development is electronic subscriptions, as demonstrated by more than 24,000 article downloads last year.
In order to accommodate the increased number of submissions, the journal has increased its page count by about 25% per year, so whereas Volume 20 published 309 pages, Volume 22 is closer to 400 total pages. Of course, by producing three issues in 2011, the actual production has been closer to 600 pages. This increase in production has been supervised by Carrie Dennett, our amazing Managing Editor who handles much of the production as well as coordinating submissions and reviews. Some of these responsibilities will now be shared by the new editorial office at Pennsylvania State University.
Another development is the continuing evolution of the Ancient Mesoamerica webpage, at www.ancientmesoamerica.net. Some of the fields that are being constructed include links to Mesoamerican graduate programs, home pages of prominent scholars, and archaeological sites. The Tell Tales section offers brief summaries of recent discoveries as contributed by archaeologists just back from the field. The Ceramoteca is intended to become a virtual library of artifact typologies for comparative purposes; it currently has entries for ceramics, jade, spindle whorls, and murals. All of these categories are under construction, and open for further additions. If you are interested in contributing, or have suggestions on how to improve the site, please contact us at [email protected].
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The Editorial staff is saddened to acknowledge the passing of David H. Kelley, another giant in our discipline. Dave Kelley was instrumental in early decipherment of Maya hieroglyphic writing, for which he received the first Tatiana Proskouriakoff award. He also made important contributions to archaeoastronomy (on a global scale) and to Mesoamerican calendrics. Dr. Kelley taught at the University of Calgary for many years, and we knew him well (Fowler as his admiring graduate student; McCafferty as a close friend and colleague during the past 12 years). Dave's keen insights and controversial interpretations have enriched our discipline, but fortunately these survive in the literature; what we will miss most about him are the personal things: the sparkle in his eye when he told a joke or a story, his brilliant wit, and his genuine warmth, kindness, and generosity.
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A happier announcement is that Editorial Board member Elizabeth Brumfiel received the 2011 CoGEA Award (formerly known as the Squeaky Wheel Award), sponsored by the American Anthropological Association (AAA) Committee on Gender Equity in Anthropology (CoGEA). The award celebrates anthropologists who have contributed to significant shifts in both gender theory and practice. Liz published one of the first major articles recognizing the role of women's production in ancient Mesoamerica (1991) and followed with a high profile and widely cited article based on her Distinguished Lecture at the AAA (published in American Anthropologist 1992). She continues to march at the forefront of the feminist archaeology movement and is particularly successful at mentoring young scholars investigating archaeological aspects of past female experience.
Following Brumfiel's lead in engendering Mesoamerican archaeology (and with the help of Jenna Hurtubise and Kara Doratti), we surveyed past issues of Ancient Mesoamerica as to the impact of female scholars on the discipline and the introduction of engendered themes. Of 426 articles published through the spring issue of Volume 22, 86 (20.2%) were single authored by women, 55 (12.9%) had women as first authors, and 57 (13.0%) included female co-authors in articles in which males were first author. Subdividing the publications into five year increments, the frequency of females as sole authors has increased slightly from 19.2% (Volumes 1–5) to present (25%), albeit with fluctuations. Similar fluctuations are apparent in the other categories of authorship. However, of the 426 articles only 18 (4.2%) are considered to incorporate a gendered perspective. The majority of these deal with female craft production (mainly textiles). There is a slight but steady increase in engendered topics through time.
In summary, nearly 47% of all Ancient Mesoamerica articles incorporate a female voice in at least some level of authorship. Based on these data the status of women in Mesoamerican archaeology seems to be well-established, while the subject of female agents in the past still requires further examination.
