The 7 most important MESOAMERICA CULTURES

One of the main historical areas in the history of mankind is known as Mesoamerica, being a cultural zone through which some of the greatest civilizations in the history of America passed, causing a cultural group that still exists today. To get to know the most important towns in this region, in this lesson from a Teacher we are going to talk about what are the cultures of Mesoamerica.

Index

1. Map of the cultures of Mesoamerica
2. The Olmecs, one of the most important Mesoamerican civilizations
3. The mayans
4. The Aztecs or Mexica
5. Other Mesoamerican peoples

Mesoamerica It is a cultural region located in the American zone that was located in the area of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. For this reason we can see the enormous influence of the cultures that make up the Mesoamerican region, since Its influence has spread throughout the Central American zone and all those countries until the present.

We must understand that Mesoamerica is not a region in itself, but was a set of towns similar in some aspects that occupied this region until the arrival of the European colonizers and that is why it is called as cultural region.

The great importance of Mesoamerica lies in being a set of common characteristics that have managed to create a people unique in that region, being all the current nations of the zone cultural descendants of the peoples who occupied the zone.

Image: Hispanoteca

The olmec They are one of the most important cultures of Mesoamerica in this region; in fact, they are known as mother culture of all the others and many of the traditional Mesoamerican customs are born from it.

They inhabited southern Mexico between 1200 a. C. and 400 a. C., for which they inhabited the Mesoamerican area during the stage known as the Mesoamerican pre-classic period. Although they occupied this region, their influence crossed those borders, being the most influential people and passing their customs to all Mesoamerican peoples.

Characteristics of the Olmecs

To understand the influence of the Olmecs we must list their main characteristics, in order to see their similarities with other peoples. Some of his features are as follows :.

• Its economy was centered on the farmingIts most important product is corn, and its basic agricultural products are the ones that the rest of the towns in the area would take over the years.
• The best known element of the culture was the so-called "Colossal heads”, Some huge stone heads that were used to represent relevant people of their civilization
• The religious leader was also a political and military leader. They were polytheists, so they believed in numerous gods that they were the ones who elected their rulers.

Image: Mexican Archeology

Another of the relevant Mesoamerican cultures was the Maya, being a civilization located in part of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that existed between the years 2000 a. C. and until the arrival of the European colonizers.

Unlike many of the peoples that we will list below, the Maya were more of a set of thoughts and habits similar to a civilization itself, being very interesting because it is different from other Mesoamerican cultures.

Characteristics of the Maya

The Mayans are one of the most interesting peoples in the Mesoamerican area, since their progress was greater than that of many European peoples and, therefore, we must talk about some of their main features. Some of the most important elements of the Mayans are the following:

• The basis of its economy was farming, producing the same products as the Olmecs.
• They achieved a huge evolution in agricultural production, such as irrigation or drainage systems.
• They achieved great milestones in the history of the architectureespecially with huge pyramids.
• His religion was polytheistic, being many gods variations of the Olmecs and other influential peoples.
• Existed social classes, especially dividing between the nobility and the plebs.

The aztecs, also known as Mexica, are another of the great cultures of Mesoamerica. They were a great empire located in the cultural zone of Mesoamerica during the postclassic period, between the years 1300 and 1521, beginning its stage with the first settlements in the Valley of Mexico and ending with the arrival of the European colonizers.

The Aztecs were the last great people of the Mesoamerican zone, so its characteristics do not cease to be the end of a huge set of ideas and characteristics of previous peoples.

Characteristics of the Aztecs

The main characteristics of the Aztec culture are the following:

• The center of its economy was farming, keeping the agricultural products of other towns.
• They were polytheists, believing in numerous gods that generally came from other earlier Mesoamerican cultures.
• The most influential people were the military, followed by the religious and finally the so-called commoners.
• They were a very warrior people, thus achieving a huge expansion.

To conclude this lecture from a Professor on Mesoamerican cultures we must list some of the main civilizations in the area, but they do not have the influence of the aforementioned. The main Mesoamerican peoples are the following:

• Zapotecs: Mesoamerican culture located in the Valley of Oaxaca that was closely related to nature, especially with the rain deities.
• Teotihuacanos: Inhabitants of the ancient city of Teotihuacan that over the centuries was inhabited by numerous Mesoamerican civilizations.
• Mixtecas: Town that occupied the southern part of Mexico for many years, being considered one of the towns with the longest existence in the region.
• Toltecs: Located in the Tula area, they were one of the most warlike peoples of Mesoamerica, considered as the ancestors of the Aztecs.

If you want to read more articles similar to What are the cultures of Mesoamerica?, we recommend that you enter our category of Story.

• Wolf, E. R. (1967). Peoples and cultures of Mesoamerica (Vol. 81, No. 14). Editions Era.
• Rojas, J. L. (1988). The Aztecs. Anaya.
• Thompson, J. AND. S. (1975). History and religion of the Mayans (Vol. 7). XXI century.