Classic-Era Culture and Society in Mesoamerica,600-900 and The Postclassic Period in Mesoamerica, 900-1500

Classic-Era Culture and Society in Mesoamerica 600-900 Mesoamericans were unified by similarities in culture, religious beliefs, and social structures. Most Mesoamericans did not have a government at this time Feature platforms and pyramids were devoted to their religious functions The agricultural foundation of Mesoamerican were old techniques Teotihuacán is located 30 miles northeast of Mexico City Teotihuacán was at the height of its power in 600 C.E. with between 125,000 and 200,000 people in the population

Teotihuacán Teotihuacán was one of the largest cities in the Americas and larger than all but a few European and Asian cities The religion in Teotihuacán was polytheistic having a sun god, a moon god, a storm-god and a Quetzalcoatl which was a feathered serpent believed to have created agriculture and the arts They sacrificed people to the Quetzalcoatl Chinampas were used by the Teotihuacán's and they were narrow lands constructed along land shores or in marshes Teotihuacán fell in 650 C.E.

The Maya Were was created around the same time as Teotihuacán and spanned from Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and southern Mexico The Maya had a single culture but was never politically unified Every single monument was constructed without the help of wheels (pulleys, wheelbarrows or carts and also without the use of metal tools) Rulers and priests were recognized by their fancy clothes and their paint that was on them to identify their leadership There was only to women who ruled the Mayan kingdom in history Created the first calendar

The Postclassic Period in Mesoamerica 900-1500 The Classic and Postclassic periods are similar in their religious beliefs, architecture, urban planning, and social organization Mesoamerica expanded during this time period With more land unconquered, came increased warfare just for the land The elites of this era are the Aztecs and the Toltec's They went ahead and crushed their enemies to gain more and more to use

Toltec's They arrived in central Mexico The Toltec’s were first along the borders to prevent nomads from coming in, but later on moved more south They borrowed the Teotihuacán's culture from them They later on became more vicious and more built around their military might The Toltec capital of Tula was established in 968 C.E. Around 1000 C.E. there was a struggle and Topiltzin was exiled Around 1156 C.E. northern invaders overcame Tula and that was the decline of the Toltec's

Aztecs They were from the northern part of Mexico but were the first to push in to central Mexico after the fall of Tula Around 1325 C.E. they began their creations of their twin capitals, Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco They had a clan based political system which turned into a monarchy There were three classes, the slaves, the commoners and the nobles By 1500, great inequalities in wealth characterized Aztec society

Aztecs cont. Montezuma II met with Spaniards who eventually killed him Tribute system was used by the Aztecs to help regulate the growing population in Tenochtitlan Religious rituals dominated public life in Tenochtitlan The Aztecs even had a cult that worshipped Huitzilopochtli, the southern hummingbird They were eventually conquered by the Spaniards and their leader was Hernan Cortes.

Quiz Who was the Spanish adventurer that conquered the Aztecs? A. Raphael Alvarez B. Speedy Gonzalez C. Hernan Cortes D. Hiruru Mipinata E. Herbert Cortes

Quiz cont. 2. Which Mesoamerican group was the first to create calendars? A. Inca B. Toltec C. Olmecs D. Maya E. Teotihuacán

Quiz cont. Which Mesoamerican god was the most important to the Teotihuacán ? A. Quetzalcoatl B. Huracan (storm-god) C. Tonatuih (sun god) D. Tlazolteotl (moon god) E. Huitzilopochtli

Bibliography Books Website The Earth and its People. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. Print. Website Http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-sun-god.html. 2006-2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. Http://grazian-archive.com/quantavolution/vol_03/chaos_creation_07.htm. Alfred Degrazia. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.

The End