An Explosion of Complexity: Mesoamerica Flashcards
What is Mesoamerica consisted of?
Parts of countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Belize.
What is some basic information about the Mayans?
End of the lunar calendar was December 21st, 2012.
Mayan Chronology:
Paleoindian – before 9000 BP
Archaic – 9000 – 4500 BP
Don’t know a lot about Preclassic period – 4500 (3000, 3000 – 2400) – 2000 BP
Classic – AD 250 – 1000 (Time period with the most evidence)
Collapse – no more evidence in the archaeological record
Environment – Rainforest, tricky environment for massive sedentary civilization with large structures.
No use of metal tools.
Did not use the wheel.
Who were the Maya?
2300 BP, Evidence of monumental public architecture can be seen at sites such as Tikal. (Pyramids)
Population in the millions.
Mayan Classic Period; AD 250-1000
Mayan culture contained more than 50 independent city-states, compared to Egypt, who had one ruler who ruled over the land for a large period of time, Mayans had individual leaders for each city-state.
Ceremonial Centers: Tikal, Palenque.
Evidence of defensive earth embankments, depictions of warfare in Mayan art.
Slash and burn agriculture plus more intensive practices such as terracing hills and building raised fields in swamps.
What is important about Palenque, Mexico?
Temple of Inscriptions - Burial pyramid for Pakal (AD 603-683) [very important individual for that society], a ruler of the city-state. Ruled from AD 615-683 (age 12).
Fancy sarcophagus lid of the Maya ruler “Pakal the Great” had a lot of symbols, found with Jade. Inherited the throne from his mother.
Temple of the Cross - Two serpents that cross over each other. Thought to represent the centre of the world, associated with the Ruler after Pakal.
What is important about Tikal, Guatemala?
Dated to 2300 BP. There were monumental structures like pyramids (built out of limestone). Temple of the Giant Jaguar - was higher that the tree-line.
What is important about Ceren, El Salvador?
Dated to 600 AD (1400 BP). Volcanic ash entombed a Mayan centre, 5 metres of ash covered the site. Excellent preservation, maize and chilies could be seen in baskets and pottery still had decorative details. There was no evidence of skeletal remains, so perhaps people had enough time to leave but not clean up.
What is a Chac-mool? (Mayans)
A sacrificial altar, often seen holding some type of bowl. Thought to be associated with offerings of some sort; life size.
What is special about Mayan Hieroglyphic Writing?
Codices were illustrated (hieroglyphic) books that (all but four) were destroyed by the Spanish. A mixture of words and sounds. [20 days in 18 months, each day and month had a symbol]
Mayan Stela = upright post or stone bearing inscriptions.
Mayans had the concept of zero, possibly developed for their calendars. They used the shell, dots, and bars.
What connection is there between the Mayans and Astronomy?
They observed the positions of the plants. Venus was connected to rain, maize, and fertility beliefs.
What was important about Chichén Itzá? (Late Classic Mayans)
Great Pyramid (El Castillo); beyond the 'Collapse of the Mayans'. The number of stairs and sections match days/months. A watercolour from the 1800s shows vegetation. There was a ball court, rules of game known from glyphs (included sacrifices).
What are Cenotes? (Mayans)
Subterranean features with groundwater utilized by the Mayans.
Suggested that it’s a place for sacrifice → human remains have been found, but the reason they are there is unknown.
Why did the Maya ‘collapse’?
No one knows for sure, it could be a combination of environmental catastrophe, warfare, invasion, revolution, overpopulation, over farming, and social factors.
What is important about Teotihuacan, Mexico?
Close to Mayan sites but not considered Mayans - they were often in conflict with Mayans. In 500 AD they were a major centre in Mesoamerica (Classic Mayan time period). By 650 AD a lot of the development had smashed/damaged. The centre covered more than 20 square km, and the centre of the city was dominated by 2 pyramids. These were not burial pyramids; Pyramid of the Moon and Pyramid of the Sun. Painted with a range of colours; no elite tombs.
Who were the Aztecs?
The people in Mesoamerica at the time of the arrival of the Spanish (1521 AD - conquered Moctezuma).
Tenochtitlan (currently modern Mexico City) - marsh region.
The Spanish Conquest
1519 – the Spanish led by Hernan Cortes arrived at the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (Moctezuma 2 - Ruler of Tenochtitlan (1502 – 1520))
1520 – Smallpox outbreak
What is notable about Aztec Archaeology?
Archeologists are working in all parts of Mexico City. Excavations are delicate due to modern infrastructure. The earthquake from 1985 opened up new sites .
