Journal profile · ARCHAEOLOGY
Ancient Mesoamerica
ISSN 0956-5361 · eISSN 1469-1787 · Cambridge University Press
Ancient Mesoamerica: CAS Zone 1 · History (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 38 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ancient Mesoamerica is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 1 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Archaeology and ancient environmental studies, Latin American history and culture and Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies, together about 57.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Anthropology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Ancient Mesoamerica is an international forum for the method, theory, substance and interpretation of Mesoamerican archaeology, art history and ethnohistory. The journal publishes papers chiefly concerned with the archaeology of the Mesoamerican region and its networks to the north and south, but also features articles from other disciplines including history, paleoenvironmental fields, and ethnoarchaeology. A wide range of topics is covered, including but not limited to Indigenous systems of writing, myths, and history; paleoecology, the environment, and the Anthropocene; landscape archaeology; household-based studies of social organization, economics, and everyday practices; early human occupation and domestication in the region; political and economic organization from the Formative through the Early Colonial periods; migration and human mobility; and studies of ancient religion, personhood, and ontologies of being.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ARCHAEOLOGY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 22, Mexico 5, France 2, Canada 1 (30 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences27.4%
- Latin American history and cultureArts and Humanities23.6%
- Pacific and Southeast Asian StudiesSocial Sciences6.2%
- Archaeology and Natural HistorySocial Sciences5.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.6%
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySocial Sciences3.7%
- Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and BeyondEnvironmental Science2.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)History Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Archaeology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.66LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 513OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.87OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 62.96%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 27LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,128 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 | 15 | 1 |
| 2025 | 38 | 30 | 11 |
| 2024 | 35 | 28 | 68 |
| 2023 | 62 | 41 | 285 |
| 2022 | 35 | 24 | 163 |
| 2021 | 52 | 21 | 311 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review Supporting editorial peer review
Periodically assist initial editorial review of submissions and special section proposals within your fields of expertise Undertake peer review on a regular basis (but no more than 5 times per year) Suggest reviewers for submissions, with emphasis given to the recruitment of scholars who will increase the diversity of the reviewer pool
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0956-5361
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-1787
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ancient Mesoamerica
What CAS zone is Ancient Mesoamerica in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ancient Mesoamerica is in Zone 1 of History, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Archaeology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of History. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
Where are the editorial board members of Ancient Mesoamerica based?
Of the 30 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (22), Mexico (5) and France (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ancient Mesoamerica?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ancient Mesoamerica is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is Ancient Mesoamerica open access, and what is the APC?
Ancient Mesoamerica is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .