So were the 4 main Mesoamerican cultures

Much is said, vaguely, about the aboriginal cultures of the American continent, especially of the center and south of it. The Mayan or Aztec cultures are the most important historically, due to the great influence they had. However, there are more than a dozen Mesoamerican civilizations and cultures, which have more than 20,000 a. C. years in some cases.

According to the findings and archaeological experts, in this area of ​​the planet there were Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Huastecas, Tlaxcalans, Chichimecas, Toltecas and Zapotecs, among others. In this sense, it seems America was discovered long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus (1492) and the Spanish Empire that arrived to establish its bases for the wealth of these lands.

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The origins of Mesoamerica

As we have indicated in the introduction, Mesoamerican culture or civilization dates back to pre-Hispanic times. of the regions that now make up countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Delicious. The beginning of the cultural and demographic proliferation occurred in the thaw, around the year 7000 a. A., Fact that supposed the development of the agricultural activity so that the inhabitants could subsist.

Over the years (millennia) and as the different aboriginal communities evolved, other more complex skills were developed, such as architecture and the establishment of cities. As it happened at the beginning of almost any type of society, also the foundations of a religion in which to lean, perform rituals and worship the gods who were asked for help in difficult times.

The most relevant Mesoamerican cultures

Although it may seem that these societies arose at the same time, research points to a temporal disparity between them. Below you will find a brief explanation about the most important Mesoamerican cultures.

1. Aztecs

Interestingly, in their early days the Aztecs they were considered an inferior Mesoamerican culture for their nomadic nature, until the fifteenth century arrived and they decided to establish their own empire. They worked the land to improve cultivation, built boats to use fishing, and invented an irrigation system to supply water to the territory where they ruled.

The Aztecs began to make use of the term Mexihco, which in their language means "in the navel of the moon", whose city ​​-which ended up being the capital- founded in 1325 as Tenochtitlán, would end up being the current capital of Mexico. As the dominant tribe, the Aztecs decided to assimilate the weakest, creating a homogeneous community that would end up bringing together 38 provinces, all of them tax for the development of the economy.

The religion they professed has been considered bloody due to the offerings they had to make to their gods, who often involved the sacrifice of human lives, prisoners of tribal wars or even relatives. According to their belief, they had to feed the god of the sun, fertility and water in order to survive.

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2. Mayas

This is one of the most brilliant civilizations of the Mesoamerican cultures. This exceptional characteristic is attributed to them because they influenced the development of knowledge in the region. With regard to the American continent, from them came astrology, mathematics or writing. The Maya were at the same time considered the quintessential trading community, pioneering cocoa, silk, and cotton cultivation.

The religion was equally polytheistic, alluding to the worship of various gods, especially that of corn, which was the basic source of income and food. Coinciding with the Aztec culture, human sacrifice is also used to please the gods, especially to avoid chaos and destruction.

3. Olmec

The Olmec culture can be considered as the mother of the previous two, the architect of what encompasses the settlement of Mesoamerican cultures. They are credited with the creation of writing and epigraphy, the invention of the zero and the Mesoamerican calendar. As for the artistic section, the Olmec culture is easily distinguished from the rest, since its most emblematic iconography is formed by large statues in the shape of heads.

Olmec society was ruled exclusively on the basis of theological laws. It is considered a theocracy of antiquity. The worship of the gods (he was also polytheistic) were represented in temples dedicated to them and sculptures of idolatry. In addition, there was an authority to regulate the creed: the figure of the Shaman, the equivalent of the Roman Pope.

4. Teotihuacan culture

Perhaps it is the least known civilization and the most enigmatic of them all, since believed to have disappeared long before the Spanish invasion. There is very little data on her. The knowledge of the Teotihuacanos arises from the founding of the city of Teotihuacán, which means "place of the gods."

Archaeological work led to the discovery of the city, which at its peak was considered a prestigious metropolis and the nerve center of Mesoamerica. Religion returns to take a tremendous role in this civilization, and the temples of Quetzalcóatl, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, are witnesses of this.