A cradle of cities, calendars, and cacao—the story of Mesoamerica spans millennia of innovation and ceremony.
Mesoamerica
Includes the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, and Mexica/Aztec.
The Andes
Includes the Chavín, Moche, Nazca, Wari, Tiwanaku, and Inca.
South America
Includes the Chimor, Mochehe and Inca civilization in the Andes.
The Caribbean
Includes the Taíno, Carib, and the Arawak from the Eastern and Western Caribbean Islands
Northern North America
Indigenous tribes in regions north of the Rio Grande include: the Coahuiltecan, the Lipan Apache and Comanche, the Hopewell Culture and Mississippi Culture, and the Iroquois Confederacy: Comprising the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later the Tuscarora nations.
Amazonia
Includes the Yanomamo, Kayapo, Marajoara, and the Tapajó.
Southern North America
Indigenous tribes in regions south of the Rio Grande include: The Coahuiltecan, Lipan Apache, Tonkawa, Karankawa, and the Jumano.
Quick Facts
- Major cultures: Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Toltec, Mexica (Aztec)
- Timeframes: c. 1500 BCE – 1521 CE
- Notable customs & beverages: ritual ballgame, incense offerings; cacao, pulque, atole/pozol
- Languages/scripts: Maya script; Nahuatl; Mixtec/Zapotec pictorial traditions
Timeline of the Ancestors
- 1500–400 BCE — Olmec Heartland — Colossal heads, jade artistry, early ceremonial centers; cacao in elite ritual contexts.
- 100 BCE–550 CE — Teotihuacan — Monumental Avenue of the Dead; obsidian industry; influence across Mesoamerica.
- 250–900 CE — Maya Classic — City-states (Tikal, Palenque, Copán), astronomy, codices; cacao drinking vessels in courts.
- 900–1150 CE — Toltec — Tula’s warrior columns; iconography echoed later by Mexica.
- 1325–1521 CE — Mexica (Aztec) — Tenochtitlan, chinampas, tribute system; pulque central to festal life.
Peoples & Cultures
- Olmec — Early iconography (were-jaguar), jade, basalt heads.
- Maya — Hieroglyphic writing, dynastic history, calendrics.
- Zapotec/Mixtec — Monte Albán, codical histories, goldwork.
- Mexica (Aztec) — Imperial tribute networks, Great Temple precinct.
Sites & Landscapes
- Teotihuacan — Pyramids of the Sun and Moon; planned grid.
- Tikal — Temple pyramids above jungle canopy.
- Monte Albán — Hilltop capital with ballcourts and carved slabs.
Customs & Beverages
- Rituals: ballgame ceremonies, incense, offerings.
- Daily life: markets (Tlatelolco), craft guilds, chinampa farming.
- Beverages: cacao, pulque, atole/pozol.
Artifacts & Iconography
- Jade masks, obsidian blades, codices/stelae with glyphs.
Language & Scripts
- Languages: Nahuatl, Mayan languages, Mixtec, Zapotec.
- Writing systems: Maya script (logophonetic); Mixtec/Zapotec pictorials.
Further Reading & Sources
- Add 3–6 reputable sources or museum pages here.