MESOAMERICA - EXAM 1

Earliest Mesoamerican sites w/ earliest evidence of human presence

Cerro Toluquilla and Coxcatlan cave

Where did pottery first appear in Mesoamerica, which region?

Soconusco, south-east mesoamerica

Popol Vuh

sacred book of K’ichee’ Maya people

• recounts creation of the world

• adventures of the Hero Twins

• origins of K’ichee’ nation

• more recent historical content

Mayan Domestication - Plants

• maize

• beans

• squash

• chili peppers

Mayan Domestication - Animals

• turkeys

• dogs

• NO BEASTS OF BURDEN

Mexicah

aztecs, Nahuatl-speaking people

Calpulli

a mexicah residential compound for extended family

Tenochtitlan

city in middle of lake similar to Venice

• had to defend from spanish → led to much of city being destroyed and rebuilt into Mexico City

Mexico City

• rebuilt from Tenochitilan

• citizens able to retain culture for a bit

• eventually spanish culture wins out

Bourbon Reforms

legal and economic changes in Spain + her colonies

• aimed at strengthening royal power

• increasing tax revenues 

• modernizing society and economy

named for the Bourbon dynasty, replaced the Habsburgs in Spain

Corregidores + Alcaldes Mayores

officals appointed by the King of Spain to administer districts within New Spain

Caciques

indigenous nobles recognized by Spanish authorities as leaders of their own communities; assisted by cabildos

Cabildos

town councils

Intendentes

officials appointed by the later Bourbon Kings to administer larger districts

Visitadores

investigators sent by the Bourbon kings to reform and report on the administration of “New Spain”

Rabinal Achi

ritual drama of the Rabinal people

• depicts conflict with the K’ichee’ king which ends in his capture and sacrifice

Type-variety system

Ceramics placed in categories called “types'“

Types are based on modes (characteristics) that tend to occur together in the same vessels

Modes

characteristics of vessels (clay type, surface treatment, rim shape, etc.)

Pleistocene

ca. 2.58 mya - 9700 BC

• extensive glaciation in norther hemisphere of globe

• lower sea levels

• drier climates

Holocene

begins ca. 9700 BC

• more local and global climatic variability

• glaciers recede, generally warmer, higher sea levels

• earliest known monuments from this time period

Overland Hypothesis

first people in the Americas came from Beringia by way of an ice-free corridor between two ice sheets covering Canada

no evidence of people in the Americas before 13,000 years ago (when the corridor opened)

HOWEVER - evidence has been found so this hypothesis is unlikely

Solutrean hypothesis

first people in the Americas entered from Western Europe

HOWEVER - genetic evidence does not support hypohthesis

Pacific costal hypothesis

the first people in the Americas came through Beringia BUT came from the coast by boat

• once coasts were occupied people moved inland

• evidence of people in S. America wayyyy earlier than feasable using ice corridor

• megafauna have been intentionally cut

• human footprints found 20,000-30,000 years ago

MOST LIKELY HYPOTHESIS

Berginia

term used to describe massive region covered in ice during Ice-Age, would’ve allowed people to cross from Russia into Alaska

Teosinte

Pre-domesticated version of Maize

• single row of kernals

• significantly smaller

Barra Pottery

1800-1600 BC

• very sophisticated which means it did NOT originate in Soconusco

• to fragile to cook with

• used to serve food + chocolate

Soconusco

where pottery first appears in Mesoamerica

Locona culture phase

more durable than Barra pottery

used stamped designs

Tlaticlo

relied on farming + resources from lake

bury dead w/ ceramic figurines

also made ceramic masks

Mother culture model

core traits appeared in one region and then diffused to other parts of mesoamerica

UNLIKELY

Sister culture model

core traits appeared in multiple regions and were communicated across mesoamerica

MOST LIKELY MODEL

San Lorenzo

• eventually a major center for Olmec culture

• high quality soil - able to grow WAY more than need which = opportunity for trade 

• don’t have much stone based on location

• downtown area where elites reside

• built on artificial dirt platform 

• large heads built from stone

La Venta

• ~18,000 residents

• used different colors of clay in building; bright, crisp

• had E-groups

• similar stone carvings to San Lorenzo

Olman

region of the southern Gulf Coast

home to the Olmec Civilization of the Early and Middle preclassic periods

Valley of Oaxaca chronology

Late Early Preclassic:

San José (1150-850 BC)

Middle Preclassic:

Guadalupe (850-700 BC)

Rosario (700-500 BC)

Danibaan (500-300 BC)

Late Preclassic

Pe (300-100 BC)

Nisa (100BC-AD 200)

Logorams

sound AND meaning

Phonograms

sound but NOT meaning

Ideograms

meaning but NOT sound

Monte Albάn

Zapotec capital in the Valley of Oaxaca

much later occupied by Mixtec people

has flat rock sculptures depicting captives

Danzantes

Flat rock sculptures that depicted men (potentially prisoners) with their penis’s chopped off

Epi-olmec

unable to read 

keys to understanding: calenders, shared signs, iconically transparent signs, structural analysis

shares calender w/ mayas but stylistic differences

Chicanel archaeological culture

• few figurines

• massive architecture with lime plaster

• iconography of divine kingship

• hieroglyphic writing

Ceibal

economically important, connects highlands to lowlands

Aguanda Fenix

massive site

found through lidar

organized in grid

E-group

Cerros

middle-preclassic

surrounded by defensive plan

no consistent layout for buildings

San Bartolo

big pyramid w/ small additional room that had murals

Chihcha

translates to “Maize Grinder”

an alleged great kingdom

unknown location

refrenced at other sites in glphys

Teothuacan as a city

• obsorbed a lot of surrounding cities populations after volcano exploded

• artificafts are widely distriputed throughout mesoamerica

• debated if there was a governing body or a single king

Pyramid of the Moon

• northern end of Teothuacan

• originally small but built up to be massive

• included sacrificial deposits → some were people and animals

• notable burial: 3 men over 40, one w/ more bling than others

Pyramid of the Sun

• eastern end of Teothuacan

• built on top of natural cave

Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent

• Teothucan

• imagery of sacred warfare

• adorned w/ masks of snakey gods (war serpent and feathered serpent)

• surrounded by sacrifices ~ 260 people in total

• men dressed as warriors

• after 300 AD temple was desecrated

when did significant architecture in Teothucan stop being built

300 AD

Pochtecah

merchant god

depicted w/ sack filled with goods

Mesoamerican Economics

trade system - very flexible

Spinder Whorls

used to turn raw cotton into useable threads

Aztec land tax

similar to feudal system

people lived on land owned by someone else, got to use land but had to pay high taxes (in the form of whatever they were producing/growing) to landlord

Aztec taxes

cities had to produce certain amount of food/clothes to give to capital 

Cascajal Block

Chinampa

small rectangular areas of land to grow crops on in shallow lake beds

E-group

western plaza, eastern plaza, and formal plaza

Metepantli

terraced agriculture system 

Spondylus

conch shell with spikes that was used for boxing

Tlᾱloc

god of rain

Potbelly/barrigόn sculptures

found at Monte Alto, Guatemala

some made from naturally magnetized boulders

magnetic anomalies are consistently located on certain parts of body/head

sculptors must’ve had a way to detect them

Transition from Archaic to Early Preclassic period

widespread adoption of ceramics

Transition from Paleoindian to Archaic periods

Western Mesoamerica became drier

Eastern Mesoamerica became wetter

Maize domesticated from teosinte late in the Archaic