An introduction to pre-Columbian landscapes of creation and origin / John E. Staller -- Ballcourt rites, paradise, and the origins of power in classic Veracruz / Rex Koontz -- Landscape and a visual narrative of creation and origin at the Olmec ceremonial center of La Venta / Carolyn E. Tate -- Maya caves across time and space : reading-related landscapes in K'iche' Maya text, ritual and history / Duncan Earle -- Places of emergence : sacred mountains and cofradía ceremonies / Allen J. Christenson -- Over distant waters : places of origin and creation in colonial K'iche'an sources / Frauke Sachse -- Fox walker on the Parapeti River, Bolivia : the origins of how we Guarani live in Iví / Elio Ortiz... [et al.] -- Where the land and the ocean meet : the Engoroy phase ceremonial site at Salango, Ecuador, 600-100 BC / Richard Lunniss -- The astronomical significance of ritual movements in the calendar of Cuzco / R. Tom Zuidema -- Dimensions of place : the significance of centers to the development of Andean civilization : an exploration of the ushnu concept / John E. Staller -- High altitude ushnu platforms in the Department of Ayacucho Peru, structure, ancestors and animating essence / Frank M. Meddens... [et al.] -- Representation, memory, and power : pre-Columbian landscapes of creation and origin / Brian Stross

This edited volume combines research on Pre-Columbian cultures throughout Mesoamerica and South America, examining their constructed monuments and ritual practices. It explores the foundations of these cultures and offers insight on specific case studies.