Research Paper On Meso-American Civilization

The Meso-American civilizations developed in parts of Mexico and Central America. This occurred prior to the Spanish exploration and conquest during the 16th century. Hunting-and-gathering people occupied most of the world. With the cooler climate of this time period, they used grassland vegetation that was the ideal place for large herds of animal. Corn was one of the most gradual domestications of success. In addition to corn, crops included beans, squashes, chili peppers, and cotton. The first great Meso-American civilization was known as the Olmecs. The influence of trade activity spread quickly due to their land being near the Gulf of Mexico. The Olmec culture passed on to people who followed this civilization. When they were first

It was located in what is now Guatemala. The Mayans excelled in agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-making, and mathematics. This civilization started in 1800 B.C. The Mayans took the Olmecs ideas. One of their greatest achievements was the calendar. Since they were guided by their religious rituals, the Maya also made significant advances in mathematics and astronomy. This included the use of zero and the development of the calendar system. The calendar was based on 365 days, just as it is today. During the pre class Maya they displayed more advances than other civilizations. They had cultural traits like pyramid-building, city construction and inscribing of stone monuments. The civilization rapidly grew in a short period of time. The cities were surrounded and supported by a large population of farmers during this time. The farmers went through a period of time where they practiced “slash-and-burn”. They believed if they slashed and burned the crops it would bring nutrients to the soil and make it better for next years harvest. It did work a couple of times, but done too many times it did not work anymore. This is one of the reasons why the Mayas had to move because of the

They excelled in warriors and was able to dominate the neighboring states. They were highly accomplished in agriculture and trade. They were noted for their art and architecture, and still are today. Throughout the Meso-Americas, the Aztecs were the most well documented civilization. This included archaeology, native books (codices) and lengthy and detailed accounts from their Spanish conquerors. It gives a better idea of their religious practices, warfare and daily life of an Aztec citizen. The capital of Tenochtitlan was located on the western shore of Lake Texcoco. It was the largest city in the Pre-Columbian Americas. The civilization was broken down into several social classes. At the top were the local rulers also known as teteuhctin, following them came the nobles or pipiltin, then the commoners (macehualtins), serfs (mayeque), and lastly the slaves