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Mesoamerica

This essay provides a broad overview of the different periods of Mesoamerican history.

Periods in Mesoamerican history

by Dr. Rex Koontz

El Tajin Ball Court, c. 800 - 1200 C.E., Classic Veracruz Culture (photo: Oscar Zorrilla Alonso, CC BY-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/9z9E3h — El Tajin has survived as an outstanding example of the grandeur and importance of the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico.

El Tajín

by UNESCO

Sierra de San Francisco — From c. 100 B.C.E. to 1300 C.E., the Sierra de San Francisco was home to a people who left one of the most outstanding collections of rock paintings in the world.

Rock paintings of Sierra de San Francisco

by UNESCO

xochicalco — Xochicalco is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a fortified political, religious and commercial centre from the troubled period of 650–900

Xochicalco

by UNESCO

copan — The ruined citadel and imposing public squares reveal the three main stages of development before the city was abandoned in the early 10th century.

Copán

by UNESCO

The ceremonial center of Tikal contains superb temples and palaces, and public squares accessed by means of ramps.

Tikal

by UNESCO

Paquime — Paquimé, Casas Grandes, which reached its apogee in the 14th and 15th centuries, played a key role in trade and cultural contacts between the Pueblo culture of the south-western United States and northern Mexico and the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica

Paquimé, Casas Grandes

by UNESCO

This plaque is one of relatively few imported Maya objects ever found at Teotihuacan and indicates that interaction between the two cultures went both ways.

Plaque of a Maya king from Teotihuacan

by The British Museum

Teo pyr grid — The Pyramid of the Moon and Pyramid of the Sun are massive architectural constructions that tell us a lot about Teotihuacan culture

Pyramid of the Moon and Pyramid of ...

by Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Beth Harris

Claims to hereditary nobility were based on racing ancestral lineage and proclaiming military prowess through dress and ornament. Gold pendant depicting a ruler, Mixtec, lost wax-casting, gold, 9 x 4.6 cm, from Tehuantepec, Mexico (© Trustees of the British Museum) — This pendant represents a nobleman wearing a necklace, earrings and a lip plug from which hangs a mask with three suspended bells

Gold pendant depicting a ruler, Mixtec

by The British Museum

Ancestor figure, Zapotec, c. 200 B.C.E.–800 C.E., pottery, from Oaxaca, Mexico, 35 x 27 cm (© Trustees of the British Museum) — Offering vessels like this one have been found in the tombs of high-ranking Zapotec lords and noblewomen in the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico.

Ancestor figure, Zapotec

by The British Museum

Cholula was known for its beautiful polychrome ceramics that included a wide range of symbols such as calendrical dates, hearts, hands, and knives

Pottery vessel, Mixteca-Puebla style

by The British Museum

teponaztli grid — Mexica wooden slit drums (teponaztli) were generally decorated with designs in relief or carved to represent human figures or animals.

Wooden slit-drum (teponaztli)

by The British Museum

grid colima — Dogs are the most commonly portrayed animal in the art of Colima

Pottery dog, Colima culture

by The British Museum

Wooden ceremonial shield with mosaic inlay, Mexica/Mixtec, 15th-16th century, from Mexico, 31.6 cm in diameter (© Trustees of the British Museum) — Ancient Mexico is renowned for the production of vivid greenstone mosaics

Turquoise mosaics, an introduction

by The British Museum

Stone serpent, Mexica, 1325–1521, from Mexico, 21.5 x 26 x 37 cm (© Trustees of the British Museum) — The serpent played a very important role in Mexica religion and many finely carved stone sculptures have survived.

Serpents in Mexica culture

by The British Museum

Stone figure of Xiuhcoatl, Mexica, 1325–1521, from Mexico, 77 x 60 cm (© The Trustees of the British Museum) — This magnificent sculpture of a Xiuhcoatl (fire serpent) has a blend of both realistic and mythical creatures.

Xiuhcoatl (fire serpent)

by The British Museum

xihtecuhtli grid — The cult of the fire god Xiuhtecuhtli goes back many centuries before Mexica times and extended throughout Mesoamerica.

Seated figure of Xiuhtecuhtli

by The British Museum

xochipilli grid — Xochipilli was the Mexica god of music and dance

Xochipilli

by The British Museum

Group of pottery model temples, Mexica (Aztec), 1325–1521, from Mexico, 14.7 x 10.5 cm (© The Trustees of the British Museum) — Small pottery temple models add valuable details to our knowledge of Mexica religious architecture

Pottery model temples

by The British Museum

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