Maya and Teotihuacan: Urban Centers and Maya Civilization

Teotihuacan: A major urban center in the Mesoamerican world

• Location and timeframe
  • Arose in the fertile central region of Mesoamerica after the decline of the Olmec.
  • Located about thirty miles northeast of modern Mexico City.
  • At its height around the year 500 CE, the city housed more than >100{,}000 people.
• Ethnicity and urban character
  • The ethnicity of Teotihuacan’s inhabitants is debated; some scholars argue it was a multiethnic city.
  • The city was a large-scale urban center with significant specialized labor beyond farming.
• Urban planning and architecture
  • Constructed over twenty-two hundred apartment compounds for multiple families; number represented as 2{,}200.
  • Built more than a hundred temples (">100 temples").
  • Notable monuments:
  • Pyramid of the Sun: height 200 feet.
  • Pyramid of the Moon: height 150 feet.
• Religious practices
  • Graves near the Temple of the Feathered Serpent suggest humans were sacrificed for religious purposes.
• Economy and trade
  • The city was a center for trade with widespread connections that extended to settlements on Mesoamerica's Gulf Coast.
• Cultural connections and influence
  • The Maya had strong ties to Teotihuacan, and Teotihuacan’s architectural and mathematical achievements influenced later Mesoamerican cultures.
• Significance and broader context
  • Teotihuacan represents a major example of an early, highly organized urban economy and state in the Americas.

The Maya: Timeline, geography, and innovations

• Timeline and geography
  • The Maya flourished from roughly 2000 BCE to 900 CE.
  • Geographic span includes what is now Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala.
• Relationship with Teotihuacan
  • The Maya had strong ties to Teotihuacan, contributing to shared architectural and mathematical traditions.
• Cultural and technological contributions
  • Calendar and writing system:
  • The Maya perfected the calendar and the written language that the Olmec had begun.
  • Mathematics and record-keeping:
  • They devised a written mathematical system to record crop yields and the size of the population, and to assist in trade.
• Urban centers and architecture
  • Built city-states such as Copan, Tikal, and Chichen Itza along major trade routes.
  • Urban features included temples, statues of gods, pyramids, and astronomical observatories (Figure 1.5).
• Astronomical and scientific advancements
  • The Maya constructed astronomical observatories as part of their emphasis on celestial events and calendars.
• Economic and trade networks
  • The Maya maintained extensive trade routes that linked agricultural production with urban markets and regional exchange.
• Decline and environmental factors
  • Decline occurred due to environmental stresses, including poor soil conditions and a drought that lasted nearly two centuries.
  • By around 900 CE, many large Maya population centers were abandoned.
• Ethnogenesis and cultural resilience
  • Despite decline, Maya city-states and cultural traditions persisted in various regions, influencing later cultural and intellectual developments.
• Significance and implications
  • The Maya represent a sophisticated pre-Columbian civilization with advanced writing, math, astronomy, and urban planning.
  • The combination of agricultural system management, architectural achievement, and long-distance trade demonstrates complex societal organization.
• Notable examples and sites
  • Copan, Tikal, and Chichen Itza as major Maya centers that exemplified urban growth, monumental architecture, and regional influence.
• Important context and relationships
  • The Maya’s advancements built upon Olmec foundations (calendar and writing) and were deeply connected to broader Mesoamerican trade and cultural networks.
• Ethical and practical implications (as inferred from the record)
  • Evidence of human sacrifice at certain temples highlights ritual dimensions of Maya religion and social authority.
  • The drought and soil depletion underscore the vulnerability of intensive agricultural systems to environmental change, informing modern discussions of sustainability.