| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Mayan Civilization | 1800 BC- 1697 CE | The Maya area has three general zones: the southern Maya highlands; the southern (aka central) Maya lowlands; and the northern Maya lowlands. Maya civilization included many independent city-states under the hegemony of a single hereditary ruler, though some larger cities seized control over others. The Maya word tz’ib describes both writing and painting, as they were a single entity. Their complex writing system used pictographs and phonetic or syllabic elements; mediums included stone stelae, door lintels, architectural stuccos, painted murals and incised pottery. Mayan religion was polytheistic and the numerous gods were worshipped by all classes. |
|---|---|---|
| Olmec Civilization | 1200-1400 BC | By 1200 BC the Olmec civilization arose in Mexico’s southern lowlands on moist, rich soil that allowed: extensive agriculture, mainly with maize; complex cities that were religious centers; and a culture of ballgame, bloodletting and human sacrifice. Excavated at the ancient Olmec city La Venta are a great pyramid, altars, colossal heads and three elaborate serpentine mosaics. La Venta was a ceremonial and civic center and the non-elites lived in outlying areas. From 400-350 BC the eastern Olmec territory underwent a devastating recension that led to a flourish of successor cultures in the lowlands within a few hundred years. |
| Zapotec Civilization | 500-800 CE | One of ancient Mexico’s first civilizations, the Zapotec flourished in the valley of Oaxaca with the ancient city of Monte Albán as its nucleus. Zapotec society was hierarchical and religious. Priests were esteemed, and cared for temples and performed sacred ceremonies (including bloodletting). The Zapotec economy relied upon agriculture (maize), plant collecting, hunting and tribute by vassals. The Zapotec produced lovely weavings, pottery and goldwork. Monte Albán is renowned for its ~150 Danzantes figures representing the corpses of prisoners captured in battle. Some of the earliest evidence of calendars and writing in Latin America is from Monte Albán. |
| Teotihuacán | 200 BC – 750 CE | Established by the Teotihuacános, the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacán is renowned for its 600 pyramids, 2,000 apartment compounds, numerous workshops and great market compound. At its hight in 500 CE it was one of the largest cities in the world with a population perhaps reaching 200,000 people. It was a site of pilgrimage for the Teotihuacános, as evidenced by the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the offerings beneath the Pyramid of the Sun. |
| Toltec Civilization | 900-1200 CE | After the collapse of Teotihuacán, the Toltecs emerged and by 900 CE had established Tula as their capital. Tula sits on a limestone promontory with steep banks on three sides. Their material culture included pottery vessels, mold-made figurines and obsidian blades. Toltec strength relied upon hegemony over significant obsidian deposits and was grown by military might. Records of Spaniards in Mexico reveal that the Aztecs praised the Toltecs for the military might and adopted much of their culture. Toltec influence extended as north as Casas Grandes in Mexico and as south as the Northern Maya Lowlands and the Guatemala Highlands. |
| Aztec Civilization | Late 1100s-1521 CE | The Aztecs entered the Valley of Mexico in the late 1200s CE and in 1325 founded a new capital on Tenochtitlán, an island in the center of Lake Texcoco. Aztec emperors ruled with supreme power and quickly subdued their neighbors into vassals. Military roads were built to link distant regions with the capital. The population of Tenochtitlán reached 100,000 by 1500 CE. Aztecs believed that the gods gave their own blood and hearts to create the world; in exchange, Aztec priests oversaw similar sacrifices to the gods to keep the universe in balance. The Aztec empire thrived for ~200 years until the Spanish and Hemán Cortés arrived in 1519. Tenochtitlán was later built over and became present-day Mexico City. |
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