A World History of Nineteenth-Century Archaeology: Nationalism, Colonialism, and the Past (Oxford Studies in the History of Archaeology)

(1849–1922) 9 (Berlin), followed by Boas himself and then by the American
Alfred Tozzer (1877–1954) (Harvard), the French-born geologist, then Pro-
fessor of Archaeology in the Museo Nacional de Arqueologı ́a, Historia, y
Etnologı ́a (National Museum of Archaeology, History, and Ethnology),
George Engerrand (1877–1961) and the Mexican Manuel Gamio. Though
conceived in 1904, it did not commence until 1911 and unfortunately had a
short life as it was soon aVected by the turmoil created by the Mexican
revolution. It would cease to exist in practice in 1914 and oYcially in 1920
(Bernal 1980: 160–7).

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHINA AND JAPAN

Historical background

In contrast to Latin America, during the early modern period both China and
Japan remained closed to Europeans. Contact was possible to a limited extent
from theWfteenth century with the imperial powers of the time, Portugal and
Spain. The search by the Iberian countries for new trade routes was
prompted by the Ottoman control of those in use during the medieval
period. Portugal established colonies in the Moluccan Islands (Indonesia)
(map 3) and opened a route westwards back round Africa. Searching for an
alternative itinerary, Spanish navigators discovered America. Spain eventually
established a colony in the Philippines in 1565 and the route to Europe
agreed with Portugal was thatWrst taken by the Galleon of Manila. This
was a galleon route that functioned from 1571 until 1815 and linked Asia and
Europe from east to west. From the Philippine capital, Manila, the galleon
went to New Spain—Mexico—and from there goods continued their travel
to Seville. One of the results of this encounter was hybridization: Mexican
craftsmen copied Asiatic forms and Europeans imitated Chinese porcelain,
for example, with the result of the white and blue pottery becoming popular
in Italy and Spain and then exported to northern Europe. A wide range of
merchandise arrived in Europe via Portugal and Spain. These included
Arabian perfume, carpets and pearls from Persia, indigo and cotton from
India, cinnamon from Ceylon, spices (pepper, cloves and nutmegs) from
Indonesia, porcelain and silk from China, and lacquer, Satsuma wares and
folding screens from Japan. Together with this trade, European missionaries
landed in the East, the Jesuits being among them theWrst. The Jesuits had an

9 Seler had started working for Boas in the Museum fu ̈rVo ̈lkerkunde (Ethnology) in Berlin in
1884 and in it would reach the post of head of the Department of America (1903–18).

Latin America, China, and Japan 185