Mesoamerican Complex Society

Human Migration to Americas

*Beringia

Siberia to Alaska, 20,000 BCE?

Earliest archaeological finds

*Monte Verde, Chile, 12,600 BCE

Travel by boat?

Alaska burial, 11,500 BCE

Ancient Beringians

Clovis complex of N. America, 11,000 BCE

Land route?

Paleolithic hunters and gatherers

Neolithic Agricultural Transition

*Mesoamerica (Central Mexico to Central America), 5000-1500 BCE

Maize, beans, squash, chili peppers

Turkey, 400-500 CE

Wild teosinte developed into domesticated maize, 7000 BCE

Why would human harvesting and planting of teosinte have encouraged fuller heads of maize to evolve?

*Andean region (South America), 4000-1500 BCE

Potatoes, quinoa, beans, squash, chili peppers, llama

Problems of Studying Early American Complex Societies

Periodic collapses

Spanish conquests, 16th c.

Limited written sources

Mesoamerican Complex Societies

*Olmec, 1200-400 BCE
*Teotihuacan, 200-600 CE
*Maya, ca. 250-910 CE

City-States

Religious and administrative buildings

Large plazas and pyramids

Houses and workshops and

Classical Mayan Complex Society (250 BCE-910 CE)

60 City-states

Holmul

Technology & Geographic isolation

Stone tools vs. bronze in Afro-Eurasia

Writing

Mathematics

Zero, 350 CE

Calendrical systems

Solar (365.242 days)

Ritual (260 days)

Cycles

52 years

5,125-year "Long Count"

Religious ideas

Polytheism

Lizard House

Lady Rainbow

Xibalba Underworld

Sacred kingship

Bloodletting

Human sacrifice

Ritual ball game

Lecture Study Questions

1. What is the archaeological evidence for human migrations from Siberia to North and South America? Why is it difficult to know exactly when and how humans migrated?

2. How did the transition from gathering and hunting to Neolithic agriculture occur in Mesoamerica? Why would human harvesting and planting of teosinte have encouraged fuller heads of maize to evolve?

3. What were the characteristics of Mesoamerican complex society?

4. How was Mesoamerican agriculture and complex society similar and different in comparison to Mesopotamia, Egypt and China?

Reading Study Questions

Hansen, et al., 15-16 (review), 96-111

1. How did the development of agriculture and the building of early cities in Mesoamerica differ from that in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China?

2. Why do the authors of the textbook consider the Olmec to be a complex society?

3. What have archaeological excavations revealed about the layout and social organization of Teotihuacan and Mayan city-states? Critical thinking: What elements of complex society must be present to allow these city states to be built and continue to function?

4. What topics do the surviving Mayan writings describe? How much can we learn about Mayan government, society and religion based on these writings?

Supplementary Reading on D2L>Content:

07) “The Storm God's Tale”

1. . What new historical information did the excavation of the frieze and inscription at Holmul reveal about the relationship between Mayan city-states?

2. How does the new evidence contribute to changing ideas about the Mayan history and political organization in the sixth century?