Ethnohistory: A Progress Report on the Handbook of Middle American Indians
S INCE THE APPEARANCE of the invaluable Iandbook of South American Indians, edited by Julian Steward and published by the Smithsonian Institution (1941-1946; Index, 1959), hope that a comparable coverage of the Central American and Mexican areas would sometime be forthcoming was often expressed by individual scholars and various groups of investigators. It is pleasing to report that such hopes are nearer being realized. The Handbook of Middle American Indians is currently being prepared, and its several volumes are scheduled to appear in the latter part of the 1960's. It should have special interest for historians, as a substantial allocation of space has been given to ethnohistory. The enterprise is sponsored by the Committee on Latin American Anthropology of the National Research Council, headed by Professor Gordon Willey (Harvard).' This group met in New York on October 20, 1956, to discuss the general problems involved in outlining a Handbook and securing the necessary scholarly and financial support. A small sub-committee was successful in securing such interest, and the National Science Foundation provided an initial grant that has permitted further detailed planning and actual preparation of the Handbook. The grant was made to Tulane University, and the Committee enlisted the services of Robert Wauchope, Director of the Middle American Research Institute at Tulane, as General Editor. He was also named to the National Research Council Committee. From its membership, he selected a group of specialists, each to act as Editor for a particular field, and as a body to act as Advisory Board to him. The Editorial Advisory Board has also met as a group on one occasion, and meetings of the several Editors with the General Editor have been convened to solve particular problems. In January 1960 more than 238 articles had been solicited of leading authorities,