We explain what Mesoamerica is and what territories it covers. Also, history of Mesoamerica and Mesoamerican cultures.
What is Mesoamerica?
Mesoamerica is understood as a certain central region of the American continent that goes from the southern half of Mexico to the territories of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and the western region of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This region was the cradle of the Mesoamerican civilization, of great ethnic and linguistic variety, led by pre-Columbian cultures such as the olmec, toltec, Maya and Mexica among many others, from more or less the 26th century B.C. until the arrival of the Spanish conquerors at the end of the 15th century AD.
In this way, when speaking of Mesoamerica, it does not refer to a geographical region, but rather a cultural one. Although its name itself means "middle America", it should not be confused with Central America, nor with the Mesoamerican Region, an international economic organization that encompasses the various countries mentioned above.
The specific definition of what exactly Mesoamerica is, however, is a matter of debate. The various scholars of this complex civilization, one of the known cradles of human species, differ regarding their start dates and their defining features, given that it was a very diverse civilization, but with a lot of interethnic contact, whose peoples spoke a series of languages from the following families: Oto-Manguean, Mayan, Mixezoquean, Totonacan and Utoaztec.
What is clear is that the different cultures Mesoamerican cultures shared some civilizational traits, such as the economy agriculture with mainly corn cultivation, a ritual calendar of 260 days and a civil calendar of 365, the absence of metallurgy, human sacrifices as the usual practice of a religion polytheistic, and certain elements of its architecture, pottery and mythology, like the god Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent.
Despite their obvious contacts and similarities, the cultures of Mesoamerica never achieved a political unity of their nations. After its conquest and colonization by the Spanish Empire, its territories and stocks survivors were incorporated into the Viceroyalty of New Spain and subjected to five hundred years of cultural, economic and social domination, until becoming part of what is now known as Latin America.
Mesoamerican cultures
So far two sets of Mesoamerican cultures are known, thanks to remnants of their tradition and the numerous archaeological sites in the region, classified according to the linguistic root of their language:
- Ottoman speaking peoples. The oldest of all (approximately 8,000 years old), occupied the territories of central Mexico, from where they spread to the entire continent. This includes the cultures of the Otomi, Mazahuas, Tlahuicas, Matlatzincas, Jonaces, Pames, among others.
- Mayan-speaking peoples. The peoples who spoke Mayense were concentrated in the Yucatan peninsula, in the highlands of Guatemala and Chiapas, from where they also expanded to other regions. Its best known exponent are the Mayans, Huastecs, Zapotecs, Olmecs, among others.
History of Mesoamerica
Mesoamerican civilization is studied based on a time categorized into four major stages: preclassic, classic, epiclassic, and postclassic.
- Preclassic period.There are differences regarding the real beginning of this first period, since the sedentarization occurred around the 26th century BC, date from which the oldest ceramic remains found in the region also come from. This period is divided into three stages:
- Early Preclassic. It goes from the 26th century B.C. to XII BC
- Middle Preclassic. It goes from the 12th century B.C. until IV BC
- Late Preclassic. It goes from the fourth century B.C. until II AD
- Classical period. This stage is characterized by the appearance of large cities cosmopolitans and greater social differentiation in cultures, as well as the more refined peaks of the art mesoamerican and its architecture. It is, if you will, the stage of splendor, and is also divided into two periods:
- Medium Classic. It goes from the 2nd century to the 6th century AD. (years 200 to 600).
- late classic. It goes from the 6th century to the 9th century AD. (years 600 to 900).
- epiclassic period. This period begins with the fall of Teotihuacán, the great Mesoamerican city, as a result of great droughts that brought about a social and political catastrophe. Then militaristic, hostile cultures arose, a prelude to the formation of postclassic cultures. For many historians it does not really represent a period proper, but rather the end of the Late Classic.
- Postclassic period. This period is the end of Mesoamerican culture and marked by the rise of military elites to political power, replacing the priestly class. It is a time of expansion and transformation, cut short with the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. It is also divided into two stages:
- Early Postclassic. It goes from the 10th to the 13th century AD. (year 1000 to 1300)
- Late Postclassic. It goes from the 13th century AD. to the arrival of the conquerors in the year 1492.