9781422283554

The Birth of a Culture

Early Mexican Cultures I n Mexico and Central America people were not as isolated as in the Andes. Different communities had many things in common, such as large cities, pyramids, a great variety of gods, human sacrifice, a 365-day calendar and hieroglyphs (a type of writing). The peoples of Mexico and Central America also farmed the same type of foods, such as maize, beans, chili and peppers. Instead of many powerful communities existing separately at the same time, as in the Andes, different groups of people rose to power and dominated the others during different stages of history. All the cultures of Mexico and Central America influenced each other at one time or another. Olmecs and Zapotecs The Olmecs (1200-400 bce ) came from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and gradually moved into the highlands. The Olmecs could feed a large population because their farming land was rich and was flooded regularly by surrounding rivers. Their culture produced religious monuments, cave paintings and beautiful sculptures that had a lasting effect on later civilizations. When the Olmec culture declined, the Zapotecs (800-500 bce ) were one of the largest groups left in the highlands. Their pottery and sculpture were remarkable and they used advanced methods of irrigation for farming.

I n modern-day Mexico City, theses Toltec statues are reminders of the country’s early civilization.

T his is an Olmec figure of a baby. It is made out of terracotta.

T his massive Olmec sculpture of a ruler from San Lorenzo in Mexico is about 10 feet (3 m) tall.

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