MT 1 Flashcards
deez nuts
How many languages do the modern Mayan speak
31
What is the modern Mayan distribution
Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador
Stephens and Catherwood
Mesoamerican Explorers & writers (chiapa & yucatan). Their writings challenges the idea that sophisticated society could not have arisen independently in the americas. Most notably, they introduced mayan culture to the world.
Antiquarianism
tradition of curiosity/inquiry of ancient civilizations driven by exploration, artifact collection and documentation. Antiquarianism is a NON systematic/scientific method of interpreting archaeological data (haphazard methods)
Thomas Gann
Example of an Antiquarian (Amateur Archaeologist)
Systematic Archaeology
Scientific approach of interpreting archaeological data.
Examples of systematic archaeology institutions
Carnegie Institute, Peabody Museum (Harvard), University of pennsylvania
What “Mesoamerica” is and how the Mayas fit into this concept
Mesoamerica is a region that spans central mexico through central america with several distinct cultures. The Mayan are a major culture within mesoamerica.
Paul Kirchoff
anthropologist who coined the term mesoamerica (1942)
Mayan Subarea
Southeastern region of Mesoamerica. Includes three primary divisions: the Southern area (Highlands), Central
area (Southern, Central and Eastern Lowlands) and the North area (Northern
Lowlands)
Maya Highlands
Area characterized by series of valleys enclosed by mountains/volcanoes with a temperate climate and well defined seasons. Hunters and gatherers occupied this region during the early Holocene prior to the development of permanent settlements. Major population centres include Joya de ceren, El Salvador (ancient farming village).
Maya Highland Resources, tools and culture
Obsidian, Groundstone tools (manos and metates, axes, chisels), Jade, Quetzals (feathered head dress)
Maya Southern Lowlands
Greater part of the Mayan subarea located in the north. The region is on a single limestone shelf and has a warmer climate compared the highlands with defined wet seasons (Greater seasonal variability compared to highlands). The region has several rivers including the Usumancita. The lowlands are the heartland of preclassic,classic and post classic Mayan civilization.
Maya Central Lowlands
area spans northern Guatemala, southern Mexico and north Belize. The area has a similar climate to the south lowlands. This region has seasonal wetlands (Bajos).
Maya Eastern Lanowlands
the “highlands of the lowlands”. Located along the caribbean coastal plain. The area has mountains, swamps and beaches.
Maya Eastern Lowland Resources, tools and culture
Salt, cacao, tropical fauna (white tail deer, monkey, cougars and reptiles)
Maya Northern Lowlands
Located in the northern half of the Yucatan peninsula. This area has the driest climate of the lowland region. Landscape is low and flat with little surface water. This areas has several cave systems.
Paleoamerican
15,000 BCE - 8,000 BCE. First peoples entered south america in this period.
First Peoples
first peoples used several pathways to settle in the americas as early as 15,000 BCE. By 13,000 BCE all of the americas were populated
Pleistocene
Geological epoch between 2.85 mya and 11,700 BCE. The late Pleistocene is also referred to as the last ice age. At this time areas of the Americas were vast grasslands and sparse forests with roaming herds of herbivores. Deglaciation ended in 11,700 BCE, marking the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene epoch.
Bering Land Bridge
dated to as early as 11,000 years ago. The land bridge connected modern day northeastern Russia and Alaska providing a migratory path for the first American peoples
Earliest settlement of the new world
earliest
human settlement of eastern Siberia dates to about 40,000 years ago. northeast Asian natives and the population that became Indigenous Americans appear to have separated
sometime between 25,000 and 20,000 years ago. This suggests that inhabitants of eastern Siberia (western Beringia) moved into eastern Beringia (Alaska) by about 20,000 years ago. Variability within Indigenous Americans mtDNA
suggests a dispersal through North and South
America south of Beringia sometime around
16,000 years ago.
Pacific Coastal Route
Alternate theory to Bering Land bridge. As glaciers waned at the end of the Pleistocene, a coastal route along pacific coast of the north Americas appeared as early as 14,600 years ago
Genetic Evidence
Genetic analysis of early central and north American peoples shows relationship between them and the native peoples of north eastern Asia
Hoyo Negro
Archaeological site with genetic evidence linking early american peoples to native north east asians (Naia: remains of a woman who lived 11,750-12,900 years BP showing genetic evidence for this theory.) Hoyo negro is today an underwater cave.
Dual Pathway
Pacific coastal route along north america
and an inland route allowed for
the rapid expansion of human populations throughout the
Americas. Both routes may have been used simultaneously or sequentially
by different groups
Chiquihuite Cave
Very controversial site and much debated
Dating of materials linked to as early as ca. 26,000 years ago. If correct, it provides very early evidence for human
presence in the Western Hemisphere.
Tlapacoya
Located in valley of mexico. Partial human crania discovered at this site originally dated to 33,000 BP but
recently redated to 10,500 BP
