Mesoamerica

Arc 150

Mesoamerica (“Middle America”) is a both a region and set of _

cultural traditions (commonalities)

Paul Kirchoff (1943) said the Mesoamerican culture area is based on _

“geographical limits, ethnic composition, and cultural characteristics at the time of conquest”

characteristics of Mesoamerican culture area

specific linguistic groups, ways of marking status/identity, specific agriculture techniques and cultural crops, ritual importance of #13, sacrifice, long distance trade and commerce, stepped pyramids, ball courts, hieroglyphic/pictographic writing, signs for #s, folding screen books and maps, ritual calendar and use of paper/rubber, merchants as spies, military orders, common widespread deities

Mesoamerica: Diversity and Fluidity

compressed geographical diversity, interaction, migration, periodic attempts to unify under centralized authority

general Mesoamerican time periods

Paleo-Indian (1st migrations to c. 8000 BC), Archaic (c. 8000 to 2000 BC), Formative/Preclassic (2000 BC to AD 300), Classic (c. AD 300 to 900/1000), Post Classic (AD 900/1000 to c. 1521), Spanish Colonial (AD 1521 to 1821)

formative trends towards 1st “complex” societies

growth of sedentary villages, population growth, mixed subsistence (in tropics), surplus storage possible, status differentiation, specialization

status differentiation in Mesoamerica included _

coordination of labor, management of surplus by chiefs/”big men”, other strategies

The Olmec (c. 1500-400 BC) was the _ of the early centers unified by similar stylistic elements

largest

The Olmec was between the and River Basins and considered to be the “_” of Mesoamerica

Papaloapan and Tonala; Mother Culture

authority ____ in the Olmec society and they’re best known for ___

cycled; colossal heads and jade figurines

the indigenous origins of the Olmec were from where?

local Gulf Coast villages

San Lorenzo (14/1200-900 BC)

earliest and largest Olmec center, controlled large regional political/economic system

the status of leaders at San Lorenzo?

able to rally massive labor, individuals were emphasized in monuments

La Venta (c. 900-6/400 BC)

authority shifted to Tonala River in Tabasco, elaborate burials, buried caches of greenstone and jade, mosaic pavements, center of authority shifted again

Olmec art was executed in _

basalt, jade, clay, and wood; done without metal tools

Olmec art was realistic in depicting _

human forms; depictions of fantastic beings

ritual tableaus

style of Olmec art similar to nativity scenes

what were some proposed ideas behind mutilations of colossal heads?

termination, dissatisfaction, or incomplete repurposing

Olmec monument examples

altars, stelas, heads

Olmec religion was _

polytheistic with gods representing natural forces (links to landscape: mountains, caves, springs)

what was a common type of shamanic transformation in Olmec religion?

human to jaguar (were-jaguar)

there were different uses of _ throughout Mesoamerica

motifs; San Jose Mogote- lineage symbols/totems

the Cascajal Block was cross-dated through _

ceramics in a mound fill: most ceramics are late Early Formative to Middle Formative

what does a “kenning” do?

uses paired words to express a third concept through metaphor/metonymy; meaning would be lost if each term were read literally and in isolation

the Cascajal Block contains a _

kenning

the San Andreas Seal is evidence for _

initial stages of logographic writing in the Middle Formative on the basis of comparisons with Late Formative-Early Classic convections

examples from the San Andreas Seal

speech scrolls, cartouche encircling day signs, paired glyphs including affixes and dots as numerals

the San Andreas Seal combines ___ and ____ elements as logograpics

pictographic and glyphic

the earliest (undisputed) writing in the Americas came from _

Western Olman; Epi-Olmec Script

Epi-Olmec Script

excellent propaganda tool, Mixe-Zoque speakers, structurally similar to later Maya script, uses sets of characters to represent logograms and syllables, earliest numbering system (long count)

logograms

word units

are there still Mixe-Zoque descendant speakers in the region today?

yes

what was the last Olmec center?

Tres Zapotes; 1200 BC - AD 600

Epi-Olmec changes

shift of settlement/authority to western Olman, changing socio-political climate

during the changing socio-political climate, Olmec leaders _

demonstrate legitimizing acts; they don’t abandon the Olmec themes- just shift the emphasis

there was an _ concern with historicity and propaganda during the changing socio-political climate of the Olmec

increasing, which was reflected in the stelae

why did the Olmec shift from rivering South Gulf lowlands to the Papaloapan Basin?

position was relative to emerging highland centers/products/markets, cotton production began as a luxury item, there was a more savannah-like environment