Michael E. Smith is Professor of Anthropology in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. He has published widely in scholarly journals on Aztec society, Mesoamerican archaeology, ancient urbanism, and the comparative analysis of early state societies. He is the author and editor of eight books, including Aztec City-State Capitals, The Aztecs, and The Postclassic Mesoamerican World (co-edited with Frances F. Berdan).