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Mesoamerican Cultures
The people who inhabited Central America formed a
number of advanced civilizations between 1500 B.C.
and 1200 A.D. As one civilization faded in the region,
another developed to take its place. Later civilizations
borrowed many aspects of culture from earlier
civilizations, as well as creating their own unique
traditions. Historians call these civilizations the
Mesoamerican cultures. The word ‘meso’ means
‘middle.’ These peoples all lived in Middle America.
The Olmecs
The first civilization to evolve in Mesoamerica was that
of the Olmecs. Around 1500 B.C., villages in
Mesoamerica became more complex and specialized.
These people formed a nation which they called
Olmec.
The Olmecs built huge religious stone emblems of
their gods and rulers. Some of these emblems were
more than nine feet tall, and weighed more than 40
tons. These massive figures were transported miles
across the terrain without the use of wheels or the aid
of animals.
The Olmec villages were organized, with a market
square in the center where trade and business could
take place. They worshipped a variety of gods and
deities. Their chief god was believed to be a being with
a human body and a jaguar face.
The Olmecs were expert farmers and practiced a type
of farming known as slash-and-burn farming. They
would cut the trees of a forest down and wait a period
of several months as the trees dried out. They would
then light the trees on fire, burning them all into
ashes. These ashes acted as a fertilizer, making the soil
more fertile. These farmers then farmed the land a
few years until it was no longer fertile, at which point
they moved on to the next forest.
The Mayans
Around 900 B.C., a group of people known as the
Mayans begin to settle the territory around the
Yucatan Peninsula. By 300 A.D., the Mayan culture had
become quite advanced. The Mayans were not ruled
by a central government. They shared the same
language, traditions and culture, but they were led by
small local governments.
Mayan Religion
The Mayans believed that the universe was made up
of two separate worlds. The everyday world and the
otherworld. The everyday world was the world in
which they lived. The otherworld, they believed, was
where gods, spirits, and their dead ancestors lived.
The village chief acted as the leader of political life as
well as the priest. He was responsible for standing
between his people and the otherworld. He
performed important religious ceremonies that the
Mayans believed would earn the favor of those in the
otherworld and bring about their blessings. These
ceremonies included the sacrifice of humans as well as
the blood letting of the priest.
Mayan Sports
The goal of this game was to hit the ball into a stone
hoop. The ball could not be picked up, however. It had
to be bounced off of leather shields that were
attached to the players' arms, legs and chest.
Mayan Science
The Mayans became excellent scientists in many
different fields, including medicine, astronomy and
mathematics. They tracked the movement of the stars
and planets across the sky, and were able to
accurately predict celestial events such as eclipses.
They also developed an accurate calendar of 360 days,
which they used to plan their harvests and religious
ceremonies.
Mayan Writings
The Mayans are one of the first peoples to develop
and play professional sports. One of the most
important sports played by the Mayans was called
Pok-a-tok.
One of the most important advancements developed
by the Mayans was written language. The Mayans
developed a complex system of writing, which
consisted of both an alphabet, as well as symbols,
which represented whole words or thoughts.
Using a solid rubber ball, which was about the size of a
basketball, teams battled one another in a way that
reminded the people of ancient Mayan battles and
legends. To protect themselves from injury, these
players wore protective padding.
These writings were recorded in books made out of
bark and plaster, as well as carved into monuments,
bones and stone. Many of these writings have
survived to the present, and help give us an accurate
look at the Mayan's history and culture.
The Mayans Decline
The Toltecs
By 900 A.D., the Mayan culture began to decline. It is
not entirely clear as to why, however, many historians
believe that war broke out between different
members of royal families. This civil war made farming
difficult, and as a result, many people died from
hunger and disease. By the late 900s A.D., almost all
signs of this once great civilization were gone.
Around 750 A.D., a new empire began to form in
Mesoamerica. Using their powerful armies, the Toltecs
began to conquer much of the territory in the region.
Their capital city was called Tula. The Toltecs were
expert miners and effective traders. These efforts
brought significant wealth to their empire.In 1170
A.D., invaders attacked the capital of Tula and were
able to conquer it. As a result, the empire itself
collapsed.
The Teotihuacanos
Just outside of present day Mexico City, a civilization
developed known as the Teotihuacanos. This people
built a massive capital city that at its height had more
than 200,000 inhabitants. This city was expertly laid
out, with wide streets, town squares, markets and
plazas.
This massive city had over 600 pyramids, which were
believed to be used for religious purposes. It also had
well over 2000 apartment buildings where many of
the people of this civilization lived.
The Teotihuacanos thrived for nearly 750 years. Then,
in 750 A.D., invaders from the north, known as the
Toltecs, conquered and destroyed them.
The Aztecs
In 1200 A.D., a group of nomadic hunters called the
Aztecs migrated into Mesoamerica in search of food
and wild game. By 1325 A.D., the Aztecs had settled in
present day Mexico City, and had built a large,
beautiful and powerful city on a small island which
they called Tenochtitlan.
Aztec City
As the population of Tenochtitlan grew, the island
became too small. Their innovative solution was to
make the island bigger. They built large wooden rafts,
which they covered with mud and secured to the
lakebed with stakes. Many people lived and farmed on
these floating parcels of land.
The Aztec Empire
The Inca Empire
By 1500 A.D., the Aztecs had used both their military
strength as well as political ties to conquer almost all
of the territory in and around their capital city. Their
empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean in the west to
the Atlantic Ocean in the east.
In the Andes Mountains around A.D. 1200 a civilization
developed independently from the civilizations of
Mesoamerica. This civilization would become known
as the Incas.
This emperor appointed various authorities to rule
different regions of his empire. These leaders swore
allegiance to the emperor himself. The emperor
maintained his control over the empire through the
use of his vast and powerful army.
The Aztec Empire Falls
In 1521 A.D., the peoples who were ruled by the
Aztecs grew tired of the treatment they received at
their taskmasters' hands. The Aztecs required all
conquered peoples to pay heavy and burdensome
taxes. They also often sacrificed their men to the Aztec
gods as part of their religious practices.
In this year, these people joined forces with the
Spanish explorers, who had arrived in the region, and
attacked the Aztec capital. They were quickly able to
overthrow the Aztec Empire.
By the late 1200s A.D., the Incas had settled in the city
of Cuzco, which would eventually become their
capital. In 1438 A.D., Pachacuti became the king of the
Incas. He and his son Topa began a great period of
expansion, creating what would be the largest empire
in the New World, and one of the largest empires in
the entire world.
The Incas formed a powerful central government.
Pachacuti allowed local leaders to continue governing
the people so long as they remained loyal to him. If
they did not, he relocated the people to distant parts
of his kingdom where they would not pose a threat.
He passed and recorded laws that were consistent
throughout the empire, and founded courts, trade
routes, and initiated many building projects that
strengthened his empire.In order to further unite the
people, Pachacuti required all his subjects to learn and
speak a common language. This language was called
Quechua. There are still many people in these regions
who speak Quechua to this day.
The Incas Fall
In 1533 A.D., the Spanish arrived in South America.
Hungry for territory and for converts to Christianity,
the Spanish overwhelmed the Incan Empire. Their
armies were no match for the far superior Spanish
technologies. While the Incan Empire disappeared
completely, the Incan people remained in the region.
To this day, many descendants of the Incas still inhabit
the nations of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. These
people still speak Quechua, the official Incan language,
and still practice Incan culture.