Mesoamerican Civilizations

We explain what Mesoamerican civilizations and their characteristics are. In addition, the main civilizations and their contributions.

What are Mesoamerican civilizations?

Mesoamerican civilizations are societies that They inhabited the central region of America between 2500 a. C. and 1521 a. C.

The name Mesoamerica It comes from the Greek and means “medium” or “intermediate” and refers to the lands of Central America. In this region, Different cultures flourished during four millennia until the arrival of the Spaniards to America. Therefore, they are also known as “pre -Columbian cultures” or “original peoples” with the rest of American cultures.

There were Mesoamerican civilizations of different degrees of social and political complexity. Some villages were nomads and left few traces of their existence. However, Most Mesoamerican societies practiced agriculturethey settled in villages and cities, had a hierarchical political organization and developed a connected economy through commercial networks with other peoples in the region.

Among Mesoamerican societies we can find Olmecs, Maya and Aztecs, recognized for their cultural and architectural development.

See also: Andean civilizations

What were the Mesoamerican civilizations?

The main Mesoamerican civilizations were:

• Olmecs (1500 BC.-400 BC). They were the first great civilization of the region. They stood out for the development of agriculture, the settlement in cities with ceremonial centers, the construction of monumental sculptures, the creation of the calendar and the bases of writing.
• Zapotec (500 BC.-900 AD). They established themselves in the south of the current country of Mexico and had a complex and stratified political organization, in which the majority of the population had to deliver taxes to a privileged minority linked to government and religion.
• Maya (2000 BC.-1540 AD). They inhabited the Yucatan Peninsula for three millennia and developed great knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and writing. They had a complex political and social organization, with a pyramidal hierarchy governed by a political-religious caste.
• Teotihuacanos (150 BC.-1150 AD). They developed sophisticated techniques in art. The ceramics of the Teotihuacanos included geometric paintings and images of gods, also embodied as decoration of large buildings.
• MIXTECAS (1500 BC.-1523 AD). They reached their maximum splendor between the year 950 d. C. and 1521 d. C., with a large number of cities-states under their domain. They stood out for the development of their war technology and having a complex social organization in which noble women could participate in the high spheres of power.
• Aztecs or Mexica (1325 d. C.-1521 d. C.). They founded Mexico-Tenochtitlán City, current capital of Mexico. They were a war civilization that managed to conquer its neighbors and develop an imperial state. They built large cities, with palaces, temples and markets.
• Toltecs (650 d. C.-1150 AD). They reached their peak between 900 d. C. and 1100 d. C., and founded a city-state of militaristic ideology. They made commercial exchanges and used the cocoa seed as currency. His architectural artistic style influenced other contemporary cultures.

Historical periods of Mesoamerican civilizations

The cultural development of Mesoamerica is divided into 3 periods:

Preclassic (2500 BC.-200 AD)

In this period The beginning of agricultural sedentarism and ceramic production was given. It is also marked by constant population growth, the development of agricultural techniques and water control systems. With the appearance of the villages the needs were diversified and the specialization of work originated.

During the preclassic The exchange of goods between different peoples was developedwhich led to the establishment of long trade routes that crossed the region. In addition, this period was characterized by stone size, from polished jade to monumental construction and sculpture.

Towards the end of the preclassic, several Mesoamerican cultures They had developed complex calendars and writing which were used by societies of the subsequent periods.

The main cultures of this period were the Olmecs, the culture of Tlatilco and the Mixtecs.

Classic (200 d. C.-900 AD)

In this period The differentiation between the countryside and the city was developed Within Mesoamerican societies. Some villages became urban centers, in which artisanal, political, religious and administrative activities were concentrated, while in the surrounding fields the bulk of subsistence goods through agriculture was produced. In addition, a jump in population growth and concentration was given at this time, linked to the development of intensive agriculture and soil use techniques.

He deepened social differentiation and work specialization. The elites were consolidated in government activities with political and ideological domain over the rest of the population. In addition, religion began playing a structural role as an ideological and moral authority in social organization.

The exchange of goods evolved towards The creation of long -distance commercial networkswhich influenced the political and economic evolution of the different cultures of the region. Policies identified with important capital cities arose, with massive architectural complexes and their own artistic style. In that context, wars were triggered between different powers for sovereignty and the control of goods.

In the cultural aspect, this period was marked by the splendor of the calendar, Writing and numbering systemsthe development of astronomy and the flowering of the arts. In addition, in religious terms the pantheon of gods common to all Mesoamerican beliefs crystallized.

The main cultures of this period were the Zapotecs, the Teotihuacanos, the Mixtecs and the Maya.

Postclassic (900 D. c.-1521 AD)

This period was marked by political instability and constant wars Among the different Mesoamerican cultures. There was the emergence and sudden fall of aggressive states that sought to conquer neighboring societies. In turn, the military and geographical expansion of those victorious states resulted in the imposition of taxes on the defeated peoples.

In this sense, A defensive architecture was developed In urban centers and new forms of religious worship linked to war and political sovereignty. Human sacrifice appeared in religious ceremonies and in art there were also reasons of war and references to sacrifices and death.

The end of the period is marked by The Spanish conquest of the Mexican Empire in 1521although some Mesoamerican spaces remained free of European domination until the end of the 17th century.

The main cultures of this period were the totonacas, the Mixtecs, the Toltecs and the Mexicans.

Geographic location of Mesoamerican civilizations

Mesoamerican civilizations inhabited the region of Central America, framed between the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to the North and east. Today there are the current countries of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Bélice, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

In Mesoamerica, different regions can be recognized according to their climate, geographical characteristics and history: Mesoamerica Norte, Costa del Gulfo, Maya Region, Oaxaca, Central Altiplano and Western Mesoamerica.

Characteristics of Mesoamerican civilizations

The different Mesoamerican civilizations had the following characteristics in common:

• Agriculture. The development of agriculture and the evolution of production techniques during the three periods was a common characteristic of Mesoamerican societies. The main crops were corn, chile, beans, pumpkins, vegetables and cocoa, and constituted the food base of the population. To this end, in addition, water control and maintenance systems, goods transport and resource storage were created.
• Government. Many of these civilizations had organized and hierarchical forms of government. Power used to be hereditary and be in the hands of castes of priests and aristocratic families that managed to maintain their status through ideological domination and control over the distribution of goods and wealth.
• Trade. The trade of utilitarian and sumptuous products allowed them to have a fluid contact with the rest of the civilizations of the Mesoamerican area and share uses, customs and knowledge. Commerce also allowed the internal growth of some societies and was a way of imposing cultural and social predominance among the different peoples.
• Military organization. War was a fundamental element of Mesoamerican cultures. The warriors had a privileged status and were honored by the rest of the population. Some civilizations submitted to other peoples through the military imposition and forced them to pay tribute and pay taxes.
• Religion. All Mesoamerican cultures were polytheistic. They believed in the existence of multiple gods, although in some cases the importance of a particular God predominated. Many gods were related to elements and beings of nature such as water, fire, earth, feathered snake and jaguar. Other gods were linked to human activities such as agriculture, commerce or war.
• Culture. Although each civilization developed its own cultural identity, the different Mesoamerican societies shared cultural features throughout the three periods. The sculptural and architectural style of the different civilizations of Mesoamerica has common elements, and the influence of religious beliefs in artistic images stands out.

What language did they speak in Mesoamerica?

The Mesoamerican peoples were characterized by the diversity of their origins: they arrived in the region at different times and spoke different languages. Specialists consider that The different Mesoamerican languages ​​and dialects can be grouped into 16 families. Among the most prominent languages ​​we can find the Nahuatl (of the Yutoazteca family), the Zapotec and the Mixteco (belonging to the Oaxaca family), and all those belonging to the Mayan linguistic family, many of which currently subsist.

The Olmeca, Zapoteca, Mixteca, Maya and Azteca villages developed their own writing systems. Some of these systems have not yet been completely deciphered. The Mayan and Aztec civilizations managed to elaborate a logographic writing system in which the signs fulfilled the function of letters, were designated by sounds and syllables, and combined them to form words.

Contributions of Mesoamerican civilizations

Among the most important contributions of Mesoamerican cultures are:

• The writing system. The first to develop writing systems in America were the Olmecs. For the most part, they were glyph -based systems (symbols) that represented ideas or words; although it is believed that in some cases they could represent syllables or phonemes.
• The calendar. The Olmecs created the Sacred Lunar Calendar of 260 days and the 365 -day solar calendar to order agricultural cycles. Both were used and perfected by the rest of Mesoamerican cultures from the development of astrology knowledge and the observation of nature.
• Architecture. The knowledge of mathematics and the development of complex construction techniques of the different Mesoamerican civilizations allowed the villages into urban centers with ceremonial buildings and monumental structures.
• The pyramids. Knowledge in architecture reached their maximum with the pyramids, which fulfilled various functions, such as centers of political, ceremonial and religious power.

Continue with:

• Mesoamerica
• Oasisamérica

References

• López Austin, Alfredo; and López Luján, Leonardo (2001): The indigenous past. Mexico City: The College of Mexico.
• Boehm of Lameiras, B. (1991). The State in Mesoamerica. Study on your ONGEN and evolution. Spanish Journal of American Anthropology, 2111.
• Carmack, Robert et. to the. (1996): The Legacy of Mesoamerica: History and Culture of A Native American Civilization. Prentice Hall. New Jersey.
• Duverger, Christian (1999): Mesoamerica, Art and Anthropology. Conaculta-Londucci editors. Paris.