Living ruins: Native engagements with past materialities in contemporary Mesoamerica, Amazonia, and the Andes.

Living Ruins: Native Engagements with Past Materialities in Contemporary Mesoamerica, Amazonia, and the Andes is a book that explores the perceptions and conceptions of ruins and other significant traces of the past among Native South American and Mesoamerican peoples. The book aims to decenter and decolonize the study of relationships between Indigenous people and the vestiges they live among. It consists of eight chapters that provide insights on different geographical and sociocultural areas, highlighting the ontological and philosophical diversity that exists in the Americas. The book also addresses the tensions faced by local populations in the face of tourism and resource-extraction industries. Overall, Living Ruins offers a deep understanding of how people conceptualize and relate to the vestiges and legacies of the past, and its topics are relevant beyond Mesoamerica, Amazonia, and the Andes. [Extracted from the article]