Transcript Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
A Proper Tribute to a
Long-Gone Civilization
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerican Timeline
PRE-CLASSIC (2000-100 BC)
CLASSIC (100 BC-900 AD)
POST-CLASSIC (900 AD-Present Day)
This lecture will be dealing with only the
Pre-Classic Period
Rise of Mayan Culture
Giant Statues of Olmec Kings
Daily Life in Mesoamerica
First “American” Civilization
The OLMEC precede
later Mesoamerican
civilizations such as the
Toltec, Maya, and Aztec
The name "Olmec"
means "rubber people"
in Nahuatl, the language
of the Aztec people
Later accounts seem to
refer to their ancient
name as "Tamoanchan"
Giant Olmec Statues
The heads range in
size from the Rancho
La Corbata head, at
3.4m high, to the pair
at Tres Zapotes, at
1.47m
Almost all of these
colossal heads bear
the same features flattened nose, wide
lips, and capping
headpiece
The Calendar Round
Variously known as the tzolkin or tonalamatl, a
period of 52 years would elapse before the 260day calendar would come back into phase with the
365-day calendar
Glyphic Writing
GLYPHIC writing refers
specifically to the letters or
characters within a writing
system and may or may not be
attached to particular sounds
Most Mesoamerican
glyphics are only
pictographic symbols
used to express ideas
The Ballgame
The “ball” was made
from hardened rubber
from the sap of a fig
tree, used specifically
for its ability to bounce
There were versions
played only with the
hands, others which
used the hips and the
elbows, and another in
which a bat was used
A World of Indifference
French word for it is
Caoutchouc and it
comes from a South
American Indian word
meaning “the wood that
weeps”
Juice is found in the
bark of the hevea
brasiliensis tree, the
source of most of the
world’s natural rubber
Mayan Traditions
The Maya developed a complex, hierarchical
society divided into classes and professions
headed by kings who ruled territories with clearly
defined boundaries in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize,
Honduras, and El Salvador
Old-Time Religion
The name Popol Vuh
means "The Collection
of Written Leaves“
The book begins with
the Maya civilization's
creation myth followed
by the history of the
Quiché kingdom
It was composed in the
form in which we now
possess it by a
Christianized native of
Guatemala
Xocolatl of the Gods
The word chocolate is
derived from the
Nahuatl language of
Mexico
xocolli (bitter)
atl (water)
Chocolate is made
from the fermented,
roasted, and ground
beans taken from the
pod of the Theobroma
cacao tree
Teotihuacan
The name is from the
Nahuatl language and
means “place of
becoming gods”
The Avenue of the
Dead was the main
street of Teotihuacan
and ran for more than
2.5 km
The avenue divided the
city into two sections,
with pyramids on both
sides of the avenue
Decline of Mayan Culture
The decline and disappearance of the
Mayan culture of Mesoamerica makes them
difficult to understand
Mayans believed that the world has been
created five times and destroyed four times
This description became the fundamental
basis of Mesoamerican religion from 900 AD
onwards when it was adopted by the Toltecs