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Mesoamerica (Spanish:Mesoamérica) is aregion andcultural area in theAmericas, extending approximately from centralMexico toBelize,Guatemala,El Salvador,Honduras,Nicaragua, andCosta Rica, within which a number ofpre-Columbian societies flourished before theSpanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries.
As a cultural area, Mesoamerica is defined by a mosaic of cultural traits developed and shared by its indigenous cultures. Beginning as early as 7000 BC, the domestication ofmaize,beans,squash andchili, as well as theturkey anddog, caused a transition frompaleo-Indian hunter-gatherer tribal grouping to the organization of sedentary agricultural villages. In the subsequent formative period, agriculture and cultural traits such as a complexmythological and religious tradition, avigesimal numeric system, and acomplex calendric system, atradition of ball playing, and a distinctarchitectural style, were diffused through the area. Also in this period villages began to become socially stratified and develop intochiefdoms with the development of large ceremonial centers, interconnected by a network of trade routes for the exchange of luxury goods such asobsidian,jade,cacao,cinnabar,Spondylus shells,hematite, and ceramics. While Mesoamerican civilization did know of the wheel and basic metallurgy, neither of these technologies became culturally important.
Among the earliest complex civilizations was theOlmec culture which inhabited the Gulf coast of Mexico. In thePreclassic period, complex urban polities began to develop among theMaya and theZapotecs. During this period the first trueMesoamerican writing systems were developed in theEpi-Olmec and the Zapotec cultures, and the Mesoamerican writing tradition reached its height in the ClassicMaya Hieroglyphic script. Mesoamerica is one of only five regions of the world where writing was independently developed. In Central Mexico, the height of the Classic period saw the ascendancy of the city ofTeotihuacan, which formed a military and commercial empire whose political influence stretched south into the Maya area and northward. During the Epi-Classic period theNahua peoples began moving south into Mesoamerica from the North. During the early post-Classic period Central Mexico was dominated by theToltec culture, Oaxaca by theMixtec, and the lowland Maya area had important centers atChichén Itzá andMayapán. Towards the end of the post-Classic period theAztecs of Central Mexico built atributary empire covering most of central Mesoamerica.
Tak'alik Ab'aj (/tɑːkəˈliːkəˈbɑː/;Mayan pronunciation:[takʼaˈlikaˈɓaχ]ⓘ;Spanish:[takaˈlikaˈβax]) is apre-Columbianarchaeological site inGuatemala; it was formerly known asAbaj Takalik; its ancient name may have beenKooja. It is one of severalMesoamerican sites with bothOlmec andMaya features. The site flourished in thePreclassic andClassic periods, from the 9th century BC through to at least the 10th century AD, and was an importantcentre of commerce, trading withKaminaljuyu andChocolá. Investigations have revealed that it is one of the largest sites withsculptured monuments on the Pacific coastal plain. Olmec-style sculptures include a possiblecolossal head,petroglyphs and others. The site has one of the greatest concentrations of Olmec-style sculpture outside of theGulf of Mexico.
Takalik Abaj is representative of the first blossoming of Maya culture that had occurred by about 400 BC. The site includes a Maya royal tomb and examples ofMaya hieroglyphic inscriptions that are among the earliest from the Maya region. Excavation is continuing at the site; the monumentalarchitecture and persistent tradition of sculpture in a variety of styles suggest the site was of some importance.
Takalik Abaj was a sizeable city with the principalarchitecture clustered into four main groups spread across nine terraces. While some of these were natural features, others were artificial constructions requiring an enormous investment in labour and materials. The site featured a sophisticated water drainage system and a wealth of sculptured monuments.
Bernardino de Sahagún (1499 – October 23, 1590) was aFranciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneeringethnographer who participated in the Catholicevangelization of colonialNew Spain (nowMexico). Born inSahagún, Spain, in 1499, he journeyed to New Spain in 1529, and spent more than 50 years conducting interviews regardingAztec beliefs, culture and history. Though he primarily dedicated himself to themissionary task, his extraordinary work documenting indigenous worldview and culture has earned him the title “the firstanthropologist.” He also contributed to the description of the Aztec languageNahuatl, into which he translated thePsalms, theGospels and a basic manual of religious education.
Sahagún is perhaps best known as the author ofHistoria general de las cosas de la Nueva España (in English:General History of the Things of New Spain (hereinafter referred to asHistoria General). The most famous extant manuscript of theHistoria General is theFlorentine Codex. It consists of 2400 pages organized into twelve books with approximately 2,000 illustrations drawn by native artists using European techniques. The text inSpanish andNahuatl documents the culture,religious cosmology (worldview), ritual practices, society, economics, and history of the Aztec people. In the process of putting together theHistoria general, Bernardino pioneered new methods for gathering ethnographic information and validating its accuracy. TheHistoria general has been called “one of the most remarkable accounts of a non-Western culture ever composed,” and Bernardino has been called the father of Americanethnography.
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Aneccentric flint is achipped artefact produced by theMaya civilization of ancientMesoamerica. Although generally referred to as "flints", they were typically fashioned fromchert,chalcedony andobsidian. Eccentric flints were manufactured by specialist artisans inlithic workshops for non-utilitarian purposes and were sacred high-status objects associated withMaya elite power.
Gómez de AlvaradoLa Blanca, PetenCalakmulBartolomé de las CasasCopánEl ChalHaʼ Kʼin XookHistory of chocolateHotel Zone (Cancún)Itzam Kʼan Ahk IIIximcheKʼinich Yat Ahk IIKʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk IMacuahuitlMaizeManche ChʼolMixco ViejoMotul de San JoséMundo Perdido, TikalNorth Acropolis, TikalPotbelly sculptureWilliam H. PrescottQʼumarkajResplendent quetzalSeibalSerpent labret with articulated tongueSpanish conquest of YucatánSpanish conquest of ChiapasSpanish conquest of El SalvadorSpanish conquest of the MayaTikalTonináWestern Mexico shaft tomb traditionBenjamin Lee WhorfYoʼnal Ahk IIIZaculeu | Here are some tasks awaiting attention: |
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