Ancient Mesoamerica does not run editorial remarks very often. In fact, we have done this only once before, in vol. 1, no. 1, when we explained the rationale for the birth of the new journal (Fowler and Houston Reference Fowler and Houston1990). We offer these brief remarks to alert readers to an important addition in staff and a significant editorial innovation.
We are very pleased to welcome new editor Geoffrey G. McCafferty and his assistant Carrie Dennett to the editorial staff. By way of introduction, Geoff has worked in the central and southern highlands of Mexico and on the southern frontier of Mesoamerica in Nicaragua; thematically his research involves archaeology, art history, and ethnohistory. With this addition we believe the journal will continue its inclusive coverage of all facets of ancient Mesoamerican research. We have now established a smooth and workable division of labor between the Calgary and Nashville editorial offices. Authors and reviewers who have submitted manuscripts and reviews during the past six months are already aware that we have increased our efficiency and improved our copy flow–note that you are reading this in the Spring issue, in spring! When Ancient Mesoamerica was founded in 1988–89, the editors and the editorial board decided that the editors would not be eligible to publish their own research in the journal. We have honored that policy without exception, so we want to mention that the Special Section on recent research on Mesoamerican textile production, which includes a paper by Sharisse and Geoffrey McCafferty, has been in the works for about two years, since before McCafferty joined the editorial staff. On balance, it seemed unfair to nix the paper only because Geoff has agreed to devote many future years to the journal.
With the expansion of the editorial staff we are also looking into several innovations to improve the value of the journal. For example, in this issue we inaugurate a new occasional feature: an autobiographical reflection by a senior Mesoamericanist on his or her life and career. The field of Mesoamerican studies has burgeoned greatly in the past few decades, and it has become difficult for students and scholars of Mesoamerica to have the opportunity to know the great scholars of earlier generations. We hope that these retrospectives will serve as a partial correction to this problem. We are also committed to the proposition that Ancient Mesoamerica should publish not only serious professional research of the highest quality, but also occasionally a more personal piece that reveals the human side of scholarship. Apart from the intrinsic interest, we hope that these pieces will provide material for present and future scholars to reflect on the intersections of life's fortunes, aspirations, training, dedication, support and guidance by mentors, and perseverance.
We are honored to begin this series with an autobiographical essay by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma. Dr. Matos directed or was involved in every major archaeological project carried out in central Mexico by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia during the final four decades of the twentieth century. Our publication of his memoir also helps to mark an important anniversary in Mexican archaeology. It was thirty years ago, on 21 February 1978, that a massive stone disk was accidentally discovered by workers of the Compañía de Luz y Fuerza near the corner of Guatemala and Argentina streets in the zócalo district (centro histórico) of downtown Mexico City (López Luján Reference López Luján, Ortíz de Montellano and de Montellano1994:16–17; Matos Moctezuma Reference Matos Moctezuma and Heyden1988:33). The disk was the famous Coyolxauhqui monolith which had lain at the foot of the staircase of the Temple of Huitzilopochtli of Tenochtitlan, unseen and undisturbed for more than 450 years after the fall of Tenochtitlan. This discovery and the initiatives of Matos and his colleagues led to the great, multidisciplinary Proyecto Templo Mayor directed by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma from its inception in 1978 to 1982, the creation of the Templo Mayor archaeological zone, and the construction of the magnificent on-site museum. The research of the project continues to this day. It has given us unexpected views and insights into Mexica life, ritual, and death. It has led to the production of more than 300 major publications, and it promises to continue apace for the forseeable future. We are deepful grateful to Dr. Matos for sharing intimate memories of a distinguished life and career with us and our readers.
Stay tuned for further developments, as Ancient Mesoamerica continues to change with the times. The Editors invite constructive comments from the readership if anyone has suggestions on how the journal might better serve the interests of the academic community.
