1. Mesoamerican Geography & Ecology

2. General Area Map http://www.famsi.org/maps/

3. Northwest Area

4. Northwest Area Geography  The Western Fringe encompasses the broad area from Baja California to the western part of Mexico.  This region has some variation in land formations.  The Pacific coast of west Mexico and Baja California consists of lowlands, which only reach about 200m above sea level.  In contrast in west Mexico there are many active volcanoes and high mountains. The height of the Western Fringe region ranges from 1000 to 3000m above sea level.

5. Climate and Resources  The climate in the west is a typical, tropical highland climate. The area of Baja California and its periphery consists of a dry climate. The mean January temperature in the lowlands is 15 to 22° C or 22 to 26° C. In July, the mean temperature is less than 26° C. On the coastal side of the Western Fringe, is dry tropical scrub and thorn forest, as well as mountain vegetation.  A large tropical forest spreads is home to rubber trees, brazil nuts, myrtle, laurels, acacias. bignonias, and palm trees.  Interestingly, more than 40 percent of the birds species of the world are found in the Western Fringe region. This includes over 2900 species. Monkeys, armadillos, frogs, and brightly colored snakes also inhabit this environment. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistor y/latinamerica/geography/western_fringe. html

6. Gulf Coast Area

7.  The Olmec domain extended from the Tuxtlas mountains in the west to the lowlands of the Chontalpa in the east, a region with significant variations in geology and ecology.  Over 170 Olmec monuments have been found within the area, and eighty percent of those occur at the three largest Olmec centers, La Venta, Tabasco (38%), San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Veracruz (30%), and Laguna de los Cerros, Veracruz (12%). http://www.crystalinks.com/olmec.html

8. Resources  Three major Olmec centers are spaced from east to west across the domain so that each center could exploit, control, and provide a distinct set of natural resources valuable to the overall Olmec economy.  La Venta, the eastern center, is near the rich estuaries of the coast, and also could have provided cacao, rubber, and salt.  San Lorenzo, at the center of the Olmec domain, controlled the vast flood plain area of Coatzacoalcos basin and riverline trade routes.  Laguna de los Cerros, adjacent to the Tuxtlas mountains, is positioned near important sources of basalt, a stone needed to manufacture manos, metates, and monuments. Perhaps marriage alliances between Olmec centers helped maintain such an exchange network.

9. Tuxtlas Mountains http://www.tuxtlas.com/geography /index.html

10. Volcanoes http://www.tuxtlas.com/geography/volcano/index.html

11. Gulf Coast Lakes and Rivers Laguna Catemaco http://www.tuxtlas.com/geography/rio/catemaco.html

12. Gulf Coast

13. Central Plateau

14. Geography and Ecology  The region of Central Mexico consists of four states including Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, and Morelos. The Valley of Mexico or the Tehuacan Valley are also considered part of Central Mexico.  This region encompasses the mountain ranges of the four "Sierra's". These highlands surround the Tehuacan valley located in the Central Plateau of Mexico.  To the north are the Sierra de Pachuca mountains, to the east are the Sierra Nevada range, to the south lie the Sierra de Ajusco, and finally to the west are the Sierra de las Cruces range. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latiname rica/geography/central_mexico.html

15. Area around Valley http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory /latinamerica/geography/central_mexico.ht ml

16. Climate  The weather of Central Mexico consists of five months of a rainy season that starts in May and ends in September; like that of Guerreros.  The other months are somewhat dry but have occasional rain showers.  During the rainy season, the rain falls in heavy downpours in the afternoon and ends in the evening. The winter weather is influenced by a tropical, dry, high pressure. The summer climate is affected by the moist air of the northeast trade winds. Altitude is important in determining temperature in Central Mexico.  In the higher altitude, the average temperature is around 60 degrees F, which is cool for the tropical region. In surrounding lower areas, temperatures can climb into the 90 degrees F range. January is typically the coldest month and May is generally the warmest. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory /latinamerica/geography/central_mexico.ht ml

17. Flora and Fauna  Many of the species of oak and pine that covered the highlands have been cut for construction or to make charcoal.  Central Mexico also contains many of the wild species of plants and animals, such as the iguana, the white-tail deer and jaguars.

18. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamer ica/geography/central_mexico.html

19. Oaxaca Area

20. Oaxaca Geography  The Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range rises from the west and stretches along the coast. Its Pacific-facing slopes have tropical forests flowing down to the hot and humid coast with its beautiful beaches. The inland Sierra Madre de Oaxaca mountain range has its origin in the center of the country, and its slopes include a cloud forest and stands of oak and pine.  The Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range rises from the west and stretches along the coast. Its Pacific-facing slopes have tropical forests flowing down to the hot and humid coast with its beautiful beaches. The inland Sierra Madre de Oaxaca mountain range has its origin in the center of the country, and its slopes include a cloud forest and stands of oak and pine.  The two mountain ranges meet in the center of the state, forming the Valles Centrales and it is at this convergence that the city of Oaxaca is found. The warm and dry climate found at the joining of these three valleys has attracted people to this area for hundreds of years.  The two mountain ranges meet in the center of the state, forming the Valles Centrales and it is at this convergence that the city of Oaxaca is found. The warm and dry climate found at the joining of these three valleys has attracted people to this area for hundreds of years.  The eastern part of the state lies on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the climate is hot and dry. http://www.questconnect.org/Oaxaca_Mexico.htm#Geography

21. Rivers and Lakes http://www.famsi.org/research/williams/images/Fig03.jpg

22. Oaxaca Flora and Fauna  The terrain in the State of Oaxaca is extremely varied. The mountainous areas such as the Chimalapas forest, have pine and oak trees.  In the cloud forests you can find orchids, mosses, ferns and vines.  In the coastal areas there are tropical rain forests.  In the coastal areas there are tropical rain forests.  The wildlife in Oaxaca state is as varied as its terrain and climate. In the more mountainous regions you can find deer, mountain lions (rare), raccoons, tlacuches (Mexican possum), hawks and eagles. In the more tropical areas you might see monkeys, boa constrictors, tapirs and iguanas. There are also peccaries (wild pigs) and armadillos. Along the Pacific Coast there are sea turtles, dolphins, whales and lots of sea birds. http://www.questconnect.org/Oaxaca_Mexico.htm#Geography

23. Mexican Possum Jaguar Fish Eagle Tapir

24. Maya Area

25. Mayan Area  The topography of the area greatly varied from volcanic mountains, which comprised the highlands in the South, to a porous limestone shelf, known as the Lowlands, in the central and northern regions.  The southern portion of the Lowlands were covered by a rain forest with an average height of about 150 feet. http://www.crystalinks.com/mayangeography.html

26. Mayan Area  Scattered savannas and swamps, or bajos, appeared sporadically, interrupting the dense forests.  The northern Lowlands were also comprised of forests but they were drier than their southern counterparts, mainly growing small thorny trees.  February to May was the dry season characterized by air that was intensely hot and uncomfortable.

27. Fauna  Many animals occupied this region of the peninsula including the jaguar, the caiman, the bull shark, and many species of poisonous snakes.  These animals had to be avoided as the Maya scavenged the forest for foods including deer turkey, peccaries, tapirs, rabbits, and large rodents such as the peca and the agouti.  Many varieties of monkeys and quetzal also occupied the upper canopy.

28. Coati Howler Monkey Spider Monkey Bats

29. American Crocodile

30. Resources  Both the Highlands and the Lowlands were important to the presence of trade within the Mayan civilization. The lowlands primarily produced crops which were used for their own personal consumption, the principle cultigen being maize.  They also grew squash, beans, chili peppers, amaranth, manioc, cacao, cotton for light cloth, and sisal for heavy cloth and rope.  The volcanic highlands, however, were the source of obsidian, jade, and other precious metals like cinnabar and hematite that the Mayans used to develop a lively trade.  Although the lowlands were not the source of any of these commodities, they still played an important role as the origin of the transportation routes.

31. Rivers  The rainfall was as high as 160 inches per year in the Lowlands and the water that collected drained towards the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico in great river systems.  These rivers, of which the Usumacinta and the Grijalva were of primary importance, were vital to the civilization as the form of transportation for both people and materials.