Mesoamerica

The Caddo indians are originally from present day Louisiana, but have moved and been relocated to Northern Texas and Oklahoma. The Caddo are first discovered by europeans during the spanish passage through Arkansas. The word Caddo in caddoan means “true chief,” and they called their chief the “caddi.” The caddo were peaceful people, they voluntarily moved to Oklahoma into choctaw Nation. Most of our knowledge of the Cado past is learned from the pottery they left behind. This pottery shows us a…

Over five hundred years ago, cleric Diego de Landa approached an abandoned society lost in the jungles of Central America. His findings led him to make assumptions of these people he marked as savages. De Landa denounced these people as “idolatry, divorce, sacrificial, and slave traders” (qtd. in Gibson 13). Nearly three centuries after de Landa’s account, the U.S explorer John Lloyd Stephens noted his discovery of an altar among the ruins of a Central American city called Copán, with the…

Huitzilopochtli is the god of sun and warfare and is also one of the principle deities of the Aztec religion. In Aztec mythology, the god is the offspring of the supreme earth goddess known as Coatlίcue (Britannica). The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli needed “daily nourishment” in the form of human sacrifice, as the “people of the sun” were required to provide the god with blood and hearts for strength. The sacrifice was offered to the sun, or the “eagle who rises,” and burned in “the…

The history of the Maya civilization does not follow a straightforward path. Maya cities and regions advanced, collapsed, and had varying levels of influence at different time periods. Maya society was rigidly divided between nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves. The Maya were led by dynastic rulers, the population grew dramatically, art and culture flourished, and the elite classes became more entrenched. The noble class was complex and specialized. Noble status and the occupation in which a…

The Aztecs were one of the greatest Mesoamerican civilizations ever. Their capital, Tenochtitlan, is located in modern day Mexico City. They lead nearly ten million people. They were known for many outstanding breakthroughs, including agriculture and human sacrifice. However, historians should emphasize Aztec agriculture.""First of all, Aztec agriculture should be emphasized because it was a huge part of their daily lives. Chinampas were artificial islands made by the Aztecs which were used for…

In a distant land, there was a famous city where the Aztec’s god had told them to look for. Tenochtitlan, surrounded by "floating gardens" and high mountains, was beautiful and very well-organized. One day, an Aztec merchant went up to the Great Temple to ask the priest to interpret his dream. As he arrived, his eyes immediately flashed on the majestic temple. It was standing about ninety feet high, two stepped pyramids rising side by side on a huge platform of this ginormous structure.…

The Maya, Aztec, and Inca were all theocracies. Maya temples were religious and governmental centers. In these temples, priests performed rituals dedicated to their gods. The Maya believed their gods controlled everything that happened on Earth, and that these gods were visible in the stars and the moon. Like the Maya, the Aztec organized their society around religion. However, the Aztec thought human sacrifices were essential for contenting their gods, keeping their world safe from destruction,…

The Spectacular Achievements of the Mayans At one point and time the Mayans were considered to be one of the most prosperous civilizations in North America. The mayans vast intelligence, and capability to make technological advances, made them one of the greatest early civilizations. The mayans accomplished many extraordinary things such as, establishing a large trade network, having an organized civilization, creating a cohesive number system, and making three separate calendars. Trade…

The Aztec culture is a very interesting modern day culture. Even though their culture is different than American culture, there are still many things that are really interesting about their culture, such as their origin, their religion, art, and the languages that they speak. Even though there may be more differences between the Aztec culture and there American culture there are also similarities. The Aztec culture is an Indian culture that originated in central Mexico. The culture started to…

For my mask project, I picked a mask from Western South America. The mask that I picked is the Inca Sun God Mask, another name to call the mask is Inti. It is used during ceremonies, to worship the sun. I picked this mask because it caught my attention by its shiny gold. The mask is very irregular by the shape of its face. Also, The history of the Inca Tribe is very interesting because the Incans had the best empire and army. The Sun God is on the flag of Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina.…