Norman E. Whitten

Histories and Historicities in Amazonia (review)

ous archaeologists working at north coast salt sites (including Andrews and myself) report the presence of trade sherds from the southern lowlands throughout the pre-Hispanic sequence, including the Late Classic. Nevertheless, Late Classic sherds from the southern lowlands are not abundant on the north coast. Although her case lacks quantitative support, McKillop may be right that the Belize coast was the major source of salt for the southern lowlands during the Late Classic—but not for the reason she cites (i.e., because long-distance trade in bulk goods was unimportant). Instead, during this period Mesoamerica was undergoing macroregional reorganization in thewake of Teotihuacan’s decline, and ties between northern Yucatan and the Gulf Coast (as evidenced by higher frequencies of ceramics from Tabasco and southern Campeche at the north coast saltworks) were strengthening—possibly at the temporary, partial expense of the southern route. In sum, McKillop’s evidence for specialized salt production in Late Classic Belize is excellent, but her conclusions about the significance of her research are far from definitive.

Indians, Oil, and Politics: A Recent History of Ecuador (review)

overlapped heavily with that of the viejotecas, affordable weekend dance clubs so named for their allegiance to salsa dura, the early New York style. Like salsotecas, viejotecas trafficked exclusively in recorded music and became a valued forum for the cultivation of expertise. Waxer celebrates these outposts as the heart of the local scene, arguing that they sustained a loyal core audience through lean years. This argument reveals her distaste for the syrupy salsa romántica of the late 1980s, which came to predominate in the city’s few expensive nightclubs, on its radio stations, and to a lesser degree among its live bands. Waxer blames the local rise of salsa romántica on the glitzy tastes of the cocaine cartel, suggesting that the cartel’s patronage of Caleño nightlife marginalized salsa dura and, by driving up prices, pushed the working class out of the nightclubs. This is a convenient but unconvincing argument—salsa romántica elbowed out salsa dura throughout the hemisphere in the late 1980s, even in cities without a cartel. And while most aficionados share Waxer’s preference for the older style, salsa romántica deserves critical attention itself. But this is a small flaw in an otherwise outstanding, richly observed, and impassioned study of local musical adaptation, covering a crucial period in Cali’s history. Lise Waxer, a young scholar of extraordinary promise, died of an illness just as this book was coming to press. Her colleagues mourn her tragic passing. This excellent book will stand for many years as a testament to her achievements.