1. Mexican American History
Mesoamerica

2. Timeline 40000 BCE – 8000 BCE Paleoindians 5000 BCE – Archaic Indians.
Nomadic
Came during last Ice Age
5000 BCE – Archaic Indians.
Agriculture
2000 BCE – 200 CE Formative or pre-Classic
Organizational evolutions
Population growth
200 – 900 CE Classic
“The Golden Age of Mesoamerica”
CE post-Classic era

3. Mesoamerica Literally mans middle America.
ONE of six “cradles of civilization”

4. Bering Migration Theory
Paleoindians migrated across Bering Land Bridge during the last Ice Age
Carbon Dating
Alternative Thesis to Bering Land Bridge

5. Maize – “The Corn People”
Domesticated ~9000 BCE
Unifying Factor
Development
Agricultural surplus
Population growth
Specialization
Craftsmen
Religious leaders
Identity

6. Olmeca Asia, Africa, or…? Mother Culture Origins Settlement
“gente del pais del hule”
Role of maize

7. Olmeca… Pottery Patriarchal Colossal stone heads Trade Number zero
Decline

8. Maya – emerge abot 1800 BCE Capitals Prosperity Writing
Codices, Hieroglyphs, Books
Fr. Diego de Landa
Social structure
Decline

9. Teotihuacán – “city of the gods”
Social structure
Strong central government
Trade
Decline

10. Zapoteca and Mixteca
Oaxaca
Monte Albán
Trade
Social structure
Writing

11. Tolteca 950-1150 CE Michoacán Chichimecas Tula Decline
“Temple of Ce Acatl”
Decline

12. Tarasco 150 BCE ~1530 CE Same basic area as Tolteca Tzintzuntzán
Military focus
Trade
Social Structure
Aztec relationship

13. Azteca
Mexica
Aztlán
Tenochtitlán
Lake Texcoco
Chichimecas

14. Azteca Schools Empire Gender roles Human Sacrifices Quinto Sol
Calmecac school (future leaders)
Empire
Gender roles
June Nash
Gender parallelism
Human Sacrifices
Huitzilpochtli
Quinto Sol

15. Northern Frontier Nortenos Hohokan Anasazi Mogollon Mississippians
Pueblos
Mogollon
Mississippians
Cahokians