OUTLINE. Thesis 01/02/2013. Instructor: Juan M. Galvan R. Mesoamerica Revised Spring 2013

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1 Instructor: Juan M. Galvan R. Mesoamerica Revised Spring 2013 OUTLINE Thesis Stages of Mesoamerican Civilizations The Agricultural Revolution Major Civilizations of Mesoamerica: Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Aztec, Tarascan, etc. Spanish Conquest of the Aztec: Conclusion Sources Thesis Mesoamerica (Middle America) encompasses most of Mexico and Central America. Mesoamerica is one of the six cradles of ancient civilizations, the other ones being the Indus Valley, the Mesopotamia, the Nile Valley, the Andes, and the Hwang Valley in today s central China. Mesoamerica is the core of ancient American civilizations, and many of its cultural traits extended as far north as Cahokia and the four corners. 1

2 STAGES OF EVOLUTION OF MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS 40,000 to 8,000 BCE. Paleoindian. Hunter-Gatherers. 8,000 to 2,000 BCE. Archaic. Slow evolving domestication of plants, nascent village life. 2,000 BCE to 200 CE. Formative or Preclassic. Evolution of farming, villages, and pottery. Appearance of chiefdoms, public architecture, solar calendar, and long distance trade. Olmec Civilization. Early Maya civilization. 200 to 900 CE. Classic. Blooming of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations with state level societies ruled by kings and priests. Elaboration of cities and monumental architecture. Intensification of architecture. Increased social stratification. Advancement in artistic expression, literacy and science. Examples: Maya and Teotihuacan Civilizations. 900 to 1521 CE. Post-Classic. Growth of city-states and empires. Expansion of commerce. Intensification of warfare. Metalurgy. Dominance of Aztec and Purhepecha (Tarascan) civilizations. Final destruction of Native civilizations by Europeans. 2

3 The Agricultural Revolution The Agricultural Revolution c. 10,000 ago. Domestication of squash and beans. c. 9,000 years ago. Puebla-Tlaxcala region. Teosintle Zea mays. c. 7,000 years ago. Grinding stones Corn cooked with lime (nixtamal). B vitamins 3

4 The Three Sisters : Squash, Beans, Maize EARLY MAIZE COBBS - TEHUACAN VALLEY (n.d.). Courtesy of the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology, Philips Academy, Andover, MA. The Agricultural Revolution 4,000 years ago. Widespread presence of grinding stones carved from basalt. 4

5 The Olmec (1,800 to 100 BCE) The Olmec (1,800 to 100 BCE) Knowledge of the zero. Hieroglyphic writing. Astronomy. Solar calendar. Ballgame. Chinampas. La Venta c. 900 BCE. 9,000 inhabitants. Chinampas 5

6 The Olmec (1,800 to 100 BCE) 6

7 Mesoamerican Ballgame The Maya (1,500 BCE on) 7

8 The Maya (1,500 BCE on) Intensive farming. Terraces. Canals. Shrimp farming. Astronomy. Calculated the length of the solar year with a margin of error of only 23 seconds. Calculated eclipses of the sun 33 years in advance. Medicine, hygiene, good nutrition, and fitness for rulers, who lived into their nineties. Average life expectancy for commoners: Fourties CE. Tikal. 50,000 inhabitants. Terrace Farming in Guatemala 8

9 Chichen-Itza, Mexico Kiuic c. 700 AD. Teotihuacan (800 BC 750 AD) 9

10 Teotihuacan (800 BC 750 AD) c. 500 CE. 125,000 inhabitants. Mathematics. Hieroglyphic writing. Astronomy. c. 2,000 apartment complexes. c. 100 people per complex. Intense agriculture. Advanced technology. Influeced Tikal (Guatemala) Monumental construction. Long distance trade Invasions (nomads from the north) since c. 600 AD Teotihuacán (800 BC 750 AD) Toltec, c AD Blend of nomadic and Teotihuacan cultures. Capital at Tula Obsidian workshops Turquoise trade with the Anasazi Influenced Chichen Itza (Yucatan) 10

11 Toltec, c AD THE AZTEC (Mexica), c THE AZTEC (c ) 800s. CE. Nahuatl speakers in the valley of Mexico. 1100s CE. Aztec arrive. Texcoco, Tlacopan (Tacuba), and Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco The Triple Alliance. c Tlaxcallans. 11

12 THE AZTEC: Tenochtitlan 12

13 The Aztec: Malinalco Aztec Education Universal education for males; optional for females 13

14 AZTEC SCHOOLS Telpochcalli. School for commoners. History, religion, military fighting arts, and a trade or craft (such as agriculture or handicrafts). All males, some females attended. Calmecac. School of the nobility. Trained leaders (priests, scholars/ teachers ), healers. and codex painters. Studied rituals, ancient and contemporary history, literature, geometry, poetry, and the military arts. All males and females attended. The Aztec Templo Mayor Chinampas 14

15 The Tarascan Contemporary to the Aztec Apex, Dominated Western Mexico Beat back Aztec invasions (1470s, 1510s). Copper weapons Fell to the Spanish in the 1530s. The Tarascan: Tzintzuntzan 15

16 THE INCA in The Andes The Spanish Reach Mexico First Spanish crew reached Yucatan, returned to the Caribbean Pedro de Valdivia expedition to Yucatan. Shiprecked. 10 made to Yucatan s shores. Gonzalo Guerrero enslaved. Ichpaatun Died fighting the Spanish in the 1530s 16

17 Monument to Gonzalo Guerrero and his family. Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Twentieth Century Hernan Cortez and the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, Jorge Gonzalez Camarena, The Embrace Mexico. 20 th Century 17

18 Conclusion Upon Spanish conquest, the demographic makeup of Latin America changed dramatically, with a small but dominant population of European descent and a much larger population of color, especially of indigenous and African origin. Today, there are millions of speakers of indigenous languages in Mexico and central America. The histories of Mexico and the United States have remained deeply interlinked. A border between them really didn t exist until 1848, when the United States took over half of Mexico s territory. Main Source Rodolfo Acuña, Not Just Pyramids, Explorers and Heroes 18