While generally concentrated within the area in and around the Puuc hills, the style has been documented as far away as at Chichen Itza to the east and Edzna to the south.
During its apogee, this widely known site economically and politically dominated the northern lowlands. Governor's Palace rear view and details, AD 10th century, Uxmal. The Postclassic beginning AD —, depending on area is, like the Late Classic, characterized by the cyclical crystallization and fragmentation of various polities. The main Maya centers were located in the northern lowlands. In central Mexico, the early portion of the Postclassic correlates with the rise of the Toltec and an empire based at their capital, Tula also known as Tollan.
Cholula, initially an important Early Classic center contemporaneous with Teotihuacan, maintained its political structure it did not collapse and continued to function as a regionally important center during the Postclassic. The latter portion of the Postclassic is generally associated with the rise of the Mexica and the Aztec Empire. With their capital at Tzintzuntzan, the Tarascan state was one of the few to actively and continuously resist Aztec domination during the Late Postclassic.
Other important Postclassic cultures in Mesoamerica include the Totonac along the eastern coast in the modern-day states of Veracruz , Puebla , and Hidalgo. The Huastec resided north of the Totonac, mainly in the modern-day states of Tamaulipas and northern Veracruz.
The Postclassic ends with the arrival of the Spanish and their subsequent conquest of the Aztec between and Many other cultural groups did not acquiesce until later. Some Mesoamerican cultures never achieved dominant status or left impressive archaeological remains but are nevertheless noteworthy.
These include the Otomi , Mixe—Zoque groups which may or may not have been related to the Olmecs , the northern Uto-Aztecan groups, often referred to as the Chichimeca, that include the Cora and Huichol, the Chontales, the Huaves, and the Pipil, Xincan and Lencan peoples of Central America.
Mesoamerica facts for kids Kids Encyclopedia Facts. Main page: Mesoamerican chronology. Jaina Island type figure Maya AD — All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles including the article images and facts can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:. This page was last modified on 11 November , at Suggest an edit. As part of a marriage pair, his sipping may suggest the feasting associated with marriage ceremonies.
The demeanor of this stately figure suggests a man to be reckoned with. Crafted of beige clay, with sections painted red, and perhaps traces of a darker color, this imposing figure has the characteristic Colima stance of bulbous foreshortened legs on which rest the arms.
The horn on his forehead is held in place by bands divided into registers infilled with incised points, and he has spools in his earlobes. A robust necklace of five elements hangs around the shoulders. Are these leather, shell, jade, stone or something else? Were they decorative, protective or both? The spout on top of his head indicates he could be filled with liquid. The horns often on the foreheads of shaft tomb figures from West Mexico have two interpretations.
The other view is that the horn is symbol of social hierarchy and rulership or at least political rank. The horn symbolism may derive from the prong cut from a conch shell, an item associated with rituals of sacrifice and warfare in Mesoamerica.
Conch shell trumpets were blown on ceremonial occasions. These rare conjoined figures show two warriors engaged in combat. The victor stands; the vanquished sits. The standing figure displays regalia or a shield on his back, and stands on the leg of the sitting figure.
The winner grips the head of the loser and prepares to deliver a blow with a mace head or similar weapon. Both figures wear headdresses with flaps on the side and horns emerging from the center. In Colima sculpture, the horn is symbol of shaman or ruler; in either case someone of distinguished status. Is this a scene from the real world, a struggle conducted by warriors, or of the spirit world, a contest of shaman?
This large warrior figure holds a complex mace, perhaps an effigy, in his right hand and a shield in his left. He wears a helmet with studs, rings in his nose and three rings in each ear. He wears a necklace and four bracelets on his upper arms. The figure is sculpted of a red clay slipped white and painted with dark vertical lines on the torso as if body armor, and solid dark areas elsewhere.
Manganese dendrite deposits add to the overall dark effect and aura of antiquity. This magnificent ceramic sculpture shows a birdman figure playing a tortoise-shell drum. The face has a prominent beak and round eyes. He wears a substantial helmet with a central spout, protrusions front and rear, and small circles painted in black under the rim. The sides of the helmet are striped in red and white paint.
Body accoutrements include shorts with a frontal sash, a crescent on the neck, and wrist, elbow and knee bracelets. He has a kind of tail over his rump, perhaps suggesting feathers in concert with his birdman appearance. In a burial context, would this figurine represent something the deceased did in life, or is it a spiritual accompaniment for afterlife in the underworld?
Size, color, finish, and subject matter make this an extraordinary work of art. West Mexican figurines present a great variety of activities, but this man sitting with a large jar secured between his legs is unique. He wears a simple headpiece with a crest, with beads around the rim of the cap and around upper arm bands. His face is long, with a serious look, and his ears are large. The creamy grey surfaces are highly polished.
The whole appearance suggests portraiture, and perhaps an activity of the deceased in life. Often there are two such figures, a marriage group, each in different postures, showing activities such as feasting. This redware figurine from Colima exhibits the fleshy, stubby extremities characteristic of the style. The features of the face are sharp and slipped white. She wears a torque around the neck and a loin strap abound the waist. The welts on the shoulders may represent scarification or some sort of worn shoulder decoration and thus, along with body shape, are an aesthetic expression of beauty.
The flaring mouth of the vessel would receive liquid for placement as an offering in a shaft tomb. This Colima figurine depicting a woman covered with children is a very rare piece; only a handful is currently known to exist from prehistoric Mesoamerica. This type of figurine can have as many as 87 small children. This is the only example where the bowl is filled with food, the others are empty. A large figure typically straddles the shoulders and holds onto the head.
Single figures perch on each arm, shoulder and breast, and one clings to the back. All eleven smaller figures wear loincloths and turban-like headdresses.
The assemblage appears to represent motherhood, nurturing and sustenance. While it is surprising given the similarities in form, there appears to be no connection with these past Mesoamerican art forms. This large gadrooned vessel is a superb example of its type. The ridging along the sides, called gadrooning, mimics naturalistic forms. Three parrots uphold the vessel, which is slipped red and burnished to a fine surface.
The rim is widely flared. Gadrooning refers to the channeling on the sides of the vessel reminiscent of squashes, melons or perhaps cacti. In West Mexico, gadrooned vessels typically have restricted mouths, like jars. They often have some sort of naturalistic animal feet, in this example, three birds, possibly doves. The ceramic is slipped and burnished red. Ornaments made from shell are found through the New World. This is a rare set of pendants and an ear spool from Colima or Jalisco, West Mexico.
The pendants may be in the shape of claws, such as the claws of the jaguar, and they may have been attached to a larger shell carving.
The circular pendant may be a serpent form. Made from the Spiny Oyster, sharp stone tools were used to cut, etch and drill the shell into the desired form. Several of the round drilled holes were also cut on the front side into the shape of diamonds. Ornaments such as these were worn by elites in formal or ceremonial circumstances. This amorphous human figure plays a flute. Musical instruments played a great role in Pre-Columbian life in Mesoamerica, which is reflected in sculpture and painting.
This engaging little figure is significant for the painted representation of a textile wrapped around the body. On the basic red-slipped surface, the artist painted a tan textile with rectangles and triangles detailed in white and dark lines. The figure has a pointed hat, also painted, as is the face. Is this what a person wore in Jalisco two thousand years ago?
Warriors are celebrated in West Mexican ceramic sculpture. This warrior is posed with club at the ready, and his headgear protects his cranium, forehead and jaw. The rack on his back in real life was probably feathered and painted, and may have indicated his membership in a warrior association.
Among the more stylized figurines in Mesoamerica are the "Pretty Lady" figurines of early Michoacan. The unique "double eyes" on this piece are typical of this time period as are the splayed legs-legs divided in two extensions, front and back, to allow the figurine to stand on its own. This piece contains an interesting headdress, multiple earrings in each ear and a necklace. Typical of this style, the figurine was once painted with light blue and white paint.
Traces of the paint still remain in areas that were protected from weathering and human hands. This lady has hair, headpiece, ear spools, and necklaces. The maker managed to render very delicate teeth. Colima ceramic flutes produce a beautiful sound and are often reproduced today. These are very early examples of double chambered flutes, similar to Native American flutes. The two air chambers are separated by an internal wall or "plug. It then passes through a small hole the flue into the sound chamber or pipe body.
This chamber contains the sound hole which can be seen on the outside of the flute just forward of the mouth piece. It also contains the finger holes which are used to change the tone of the flute. The slow air chamber acts as a second resonator and gives the flute its distinctive haunting sound.
One example here is two flutes connected together and two tones can be achieved at the same time. The single flutes often have animal or human figures applied to the ceramic. This single flute has an applique of a face on it. This distinctive jar form is called, not unsurprisingly, a flying saucer jar. It has a very acute angle that creates the shoulder of the vessel. The reason for the shoulder may have to do with the stability of the jar. It lowers the center of gravity of the vessel making this jar very difficult to tip over.
This beautiful ceramic is created using a slip. A slip is a soupy mixture of water and clay. This jar was dipped into a slip, coating it with a thin layer of iron rich clay.
The map to the right shows the area covered by Mesoamerica. As you can see, it is a relatively thin area of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico that connects North and South America. The climate there is hot and dry, becoming more tropical as we move farther south. Do Olmecs still exist? The name "Olmec" means "rubber people" in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec, and was the Aztec name for the people who lived in the Gulf Lowlands in the 15th and 16th centuries, some years after the Olmec culture died out.
What were the Olmec known for? The Olmec culture thrived along Mexico's Gulf coast from roughly to B. Best known today for their carved? Is Panama part of Mesoamerica? Where did the mesoamericans come from?
Mesoamerican civilization, the complex of indigenous cultures that developed in parts of Mexico and Central America prior to Spanish exploration and conquest in the 16th century.
The term Mesoamerica was first used by Paul Kirchoff, a German-Mexican archaeologist who coined the term in and was instrumental in defining it. His definition was based on geographic limits, ethnic composition, and cultural characteristics at the time of the conquest. Cultural anthropologists and archaeologists mainly use the term Mesoamerica, but it is handy for visitors to Mexico to be familiar with it when trying to grasp an understanding of how Mexico developed over time and the different ancient civilizations that originated here.
Many people are only familiar with the Aztecs and the Maya, but there were, in fact, several other important civilizations in the region. Some of the famous ancient civilizations that developed in this area include the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Teotihuacanos, Mayas , and Aztecs.
These cultures developed complex societies, reached high levels of technological evolution, built monumental constructions, and shared many cultural concepts. Although the region is very diverse in terms of geography, biology, and culture, the ancient civilizations that developed within Mesoamerica shared some common features and characteristics and were in constant communication throughout their development.
Some of the shared features of the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica:. Besides these commonalities, it's important to realize that there is also great diversity among the groups that developed within Mesoamerica, as they each had different languages, customs, and traditions. The history of Mesoamerica is divided into three major periods.
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