We are very pleased to announce that another book indexed by Southwest Humanities has been published (Nov. 1, 2025): Sam Holley-Kline’s In the Shadow of El Tajín: The Political Economy of Archaeology in Modern Mexico, in University of Nebraska Press’s Confluencias series. In this important study, Holley-Kline offers a deeply textured account of the famous archaeological site of El Tajín in Veracruz, Mexico—moving beyond its ancient pyramids to examine its modern history as a site of labor, industry, and Indigenous life. Through ethnographic interviews with Totonac residents and archival investigations, the author sheds light on how oil extraction, vanilla cultivation, wage labor for site conservation, and tourism have transformed both the landscape and the social fabric of the region. The book reframes El Tajín not just as a monument of pre-Hispanic glory, but as a living terrain shaped by colonial and modern political-economic forces. This volume bridges archaeology, Indigenous studies, and political economy in novel ways. By decentering the archaeological narrative and placing Indigenous workers, industry, and local histories at the heart of the story, it challenges how heritage sites are traditionally studied. It prompts scholars to ask: Who benefits from heritage? Whose voices are excluded? How do industrial and extractive economies impact cultural landscapes? As such, the book makes a valuable contribution to Latin American studies, heritage studies, labor history, and Indigenous scholarship—offering a more holistic understanding of how past and present intertwine in heritage landscapes. For more information, please see the publisher’s website here.
SOUTHWEST HUMANITIES 