The Olmec period lasted from 2000 BC to 200 BC. They were the first major civilization in Mexico. Their people came to a sudden, violent, unknown end as with many of these civilizations. They were referred to as the people of the rubber country because they used rubber as a material in many things. They had a hieroglyphic style of language and developed the first calender in the western hemisphere. The jaguar was the symbol of the chief deity, as with most of these civilizations. They used a lot of jade in their art work which was very realistic. For fun they played a ballgame, that the other cultures also played, with a ball and a stone hoop. La Venta was the first example of a temple focused city. It was in a linear shape and composed of the Great Pyramid of Earth, a ball court, smaller pyramids, and giant stone heads that represented their leaders. There weighed 40-50 tons each. Food sources for these people were reliable even for commoners, and also diverse. The people also had Shamans who were believed to be in contact with gods and they would predict things from farming to rulers. The people of this time period were polytheistic and believed they became closer with their gods through bloodletting and human sacrifice. Teotihuacan was a city that lasted from 250 BC to 900 AD and was abruptly deserted. The city was laid out on a grid and had no city walls.
The Mayans lasted from 300 BC to 1521 AD and flourished in that time. They were destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors as with many of these cultures. They were situated in what is now Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and parts of Mexico. Chichen Itza was a ceremonial site in Mexico and lasted from 900 AD to the arrival of the Spanish. The site consists of 4 sided pyramids and a Jaguar throne.
The Aztecs lasted from 1150-1520 AD. Tenochtitlan was the center capital of the empire, it is current day Mexico City. It consists of a Pyramid of the Sun and Moon as well as floating gardens. This civilization rivaled that of Rome. The populations soared from 500,000 to over 3 million. Their raised gardening beds may have been the most productive agricultural design ever developed; they were able to get up to 7 harvests per year from a single bed.
The Incas lasted from 1200 to 1572 CE. They were the largest empire in pre-Colombian America. The are known for their architecture and are located on the Pacific Ocean and in the mountains. The capital of the empire was Cuzco. They were masters of stone cutting and use a trapezoid shaped door. Machu Picchu is located in present day Peru in a very seismically unstable area and it is surprising it has lasted so long due to the fact that no mortar was used in its construction. It was the royal estate of the emperor Pachacuti. This site was never discovered by the Spanish and therefor not destroyed. It was discovered by a American professor in 1911. This city had fountains and pools and alters. over 200 stone structures. There is no written carvings. The Incas are known for their good roads and it is surprising how much they flourished in only their 100 years of ruling. The characteristics of this time include; isolated empires, deep connections to the metaphysical world, concept of open space and relationships to buildings, and generally ended at the hand of the Spanish.
Classic examples
La Venta stone head
Chichen Itza
Tenochtitlan
Machu Picchu
Modern examples
Trapezoid opening
Step Pyramid design
Modern floating garden
Peer Review:
Jackson: I liked how she went into detail about each of the groups and had great pictures after all of them to really explain the culture.
Sammy: I liked how she went into detail about how the civilizations shared similar religious beliefs and i liked her current applications.
Sammy: I liked how she went into detail about how the civilizations shared similar religious beliefs and i liked her current applications.
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