PRECLASSIC PERIOD OF MESOAMERICA: CHARACTERISTICS AND CULTURES - HISTORY - 2024

The pre-classic period of Mesoamerica is a stage in the population chronology of this region that follows the archaic period. During the preclassical period, the agriculture of Mesoamerican civilizations evolved much more, which allowed tribal leaders to create centralized forms of government by exercising control of their lands.

The pre-classic period can be seen as the final stage in which the indigenous civilizations of the time became definitively stationary. That is to say, local societies developed much more complex centers of life and completely detached themselves from the nomadic life to which they had become accustomed before the archaic period.

Its main exponent was the Olmec civilization, but the development of the Zapotec and Teotihuacán civilizations also stands out. Furthermore, the pre-classic period saw the birth of the Mayan civilization for the first time.

How many centuries did it last?

The pre-classic period was divided into three main stages, which lasted together from the XXV century BC. C. (beginning in the year 2500 a. C.) until the year 250 of the present era. That is, until the second century after Christ. In total, it lasted 27 and a half centuries.

The stages of the pre-classic period are: early or formative pre-classic period, the middle stage of the pre-classic or middle pre-classic period, and the final stage of the pre-classic or late pre-classic period.

Each of these stages is determined by the style of events, both cultural and social, that occurred in Mesoamerica during the years that comprise them.

The beginning of the pre-classic period is the stage between the year 2500 and 900 BC. C. The middle stage makes up everything that happened from 900 to 300 BC. C., and the final stage everything that happened between the year 300 a. C. and 250 d. C.

characteristics

Early Preclassic Period

During the early pre-classic period, Mesoamerican civilizations began to develop much more complex social systems than they were at the time.

Cities did not exist, as population organizations occurred mainly in the form of villages and small population complexes.

Civilizations changed their growth techniques to adapt to greater population development.

Furthermore, this stage gave rise to a large number of cultural artifacts that have been studied in depth by modern archaeologists. Particularly highlights the development of crafts and the creation of small stylized figures.

The growth of civilizations goes beyond the cultural sphere. During the early pre-classic period, more complex trading systems also began to be used. In addition, the social differences between the members of each population group became more marked during this time.

The first wars with historical record in Mesoamerica occurred during this period. In fact, the armed conflicts grew over time until the Monte Albán civilization exercised its dominion over the entire Oaxaca valley at the end of the pre-classic period.

First events

In the territory of what is now Chiapas and El Salvador, the Olmec civilization (one of the first large civilizations in Mesoamerica) and other pre-classic civilizations created the first handicrafts of this era.

Furthermore, the growth of the Olmecs in this period is considered one of the most important cultural phenomena that occurred in ancient Mesoamerica.

The funeral practices and the obtaining of important goods for each member of the society during this period are important examples of the great difference that existed between the members of each town.

Certain people had more privileged access to some goods, while others lived more humbly.

Middle Preclassic Period

During the middle period of the pre-classical stage the growth of societies continued under the same pattern as it had begun in the initial stage.

However, this period is notable for the more marked centralization of governments and the creation of hierarchical laws within societies.

Some civilizations went on to transform into city-states, changing the state of societies led by tribal chiefs with which they had lived for several centuries.

During the pre-classic period, a system of government very similar to that of the European kingdoms began to be used for the first time. Each "king" acted as the monarch of an entire society; after her death, it was her son who went on to become the new ruler.

This system of inherited authority had never been so markedly implemented in America as it was during this pre-classic stage.

The use of glyphs on carved monuments became very common at this time. During this pre-classic stage the Mesoamerican inhabitants developed more sophisticated systems for the creation of buildings and cultural works.

Accentuation of initial characteristics

Other characteristics common in the early stage were also pronounced during the middle stage. The class differentiation became much greater. The characteristics of members of high society, politicians, elites and ordinary people became much easier to identify attributes.

This increase in social differences occurred as a consequence of the number of people living in Mesoamerica. As time progressed, the population densities of the then organized societies became much more emphasized. With more people, the differences between each social class became clearer than before.

Commerce and architecture grew much more than they had in the early Pre-Classic stage. The exchange of precious stones for commercial purposes was also accompanied by the cultural exchange between the civilizations of the region. This created a spread of various religious beliefs throughout the Pre-Classic.

War and politics

Many of the monuments that were created during this stage of the pre-classic period had religious references. Also, prisoners of war were often sacrificed in rituals by their captors.

The Mayan civilization also used architecture and cultural monuments at this time to represent the sources of authority of its people. In other words, the monuments had political purposes that enforced respect for authority. These monuments were erected throughout all of Mesoamerica.

The struggle for territorial control of Mesoamerica caused a substantial increase in the battles that were fought between civilizations. The war had quite a significant growth during this period.

Late Preclassic Period

The end of the pre-classic period had as its main exponent the growth of urbanism within all Mesoamerican cities.

Given that by this time there were already a large number of inhabitants in each territory, a much more complex development plan had to be created to make the most of the space of the cities.

These architectural works were fundamental for the development of much more advanced civilizations in the classical period. In fact, during the end of the pre-classic period the city of Teotihuacán was planned and designed. The civilization that inhabited this city became the undisputed leader of Mesoamerica during almost the entire classical period.

In the cities with less growth (particularly those located in the north and west of what is now Mexico), there was a much greater growth in crafts than in urban planning.

The development of artistic styles peculiar to each region was much more emphasized during this stage. Each city created its own works of art with particular designs. Each region also began to have its own funeral ceremonies, with independent methods developed in each area.

Social advances

The most important social advances of the pre-classic period were carried out by the Mayan civilization, which was in constant growth.

This civilization went on to develop a large number of advances that became the fundamental bases for the classic period of Mesoamerica.

The Maya created new urban planning designs, developed new mathematical and architectural methods, studied astronomy in greater depth, and also generated more advanced writing systems.

Cultures

All the stages of the pre-classic period of Mesoamerica had the Olmec, Zapotec, Teotihuacan and Mayan civilizations as main protagonists.

Olmec

The Olmecs were a civilization that flourished during the pre-Classic Mesoamerican era. They are believed to be the cultural ancestors of the two greatest civilizations in the continent's history: the Aztecs and the Mayans. The civilization was born around 1200 BC. C. in the Gulf of Mexico.

Little is known about this civilization, as they did not record the location of their cities in writing. However, their religious beliefs were often written in symbols. In addition, they were the ancestors of the Mayan and Aztec pyramids.

Ancient Olmec sculpture

It is known that civilization arose in the fertile waters of the Gulf of Mexico, making use of the cultivation of grains such as beans and corn. They created a fairly extensive agriculture, which allowed them to have large surpluses of food that were used to grow their civilization.

The Olmecs came to control a large amount of Mesoamerican trade thanks to the strategic position that their cities had in the region.

They became the main exponent of cultural goods in Mesoamerica throughout the pre-classic period and were the first civilization that managed to exercise such a wide territorial domain in the region.

Zapotecs

The Zapotecs were known as the "people of the clouds" and inhabited the entire mountainous region of southern Mesoamerica. They settled in this area around 500 BC. C., during the peak of the preclassic period.

Their capital was Monte Albán and they used trade with the other most powerful civilizations of the time to grow their cities.

The origin of this civilization is found in the agricultural growth that the various peoples located in the Valley of Oaxaca had during the pre-classic period. Their commercial ties with the Olmec civilization led them to build important urban centers and dominate the valleys for more than 1000 years.

Zapotec Temple

They built many urban centers, including more than 15 royal palaces scattered throughout the entire Mesoamerican territory.

The Zapotec development during the late pre-classic period is remarkable, as its cities showed a high cultural level, both in their various artistic expressions and in their architecture.

They established extensive relations and cultural exchange with other Mesoamerican civilizations, including that of Teotihuacán.

Teotihuacan

The influence of the Teotihuacán civilization, which is named after the capital of its empire, spread throughout Mesoamerica. Its capital city had one of the largest population groups in the world; It is estimated that Teotihuacán lived approximately a quarter of a million people.

Civilization reached its highest cultural level during the last century of the pre-classic period. The architecture of this civilization served as the main influence for the Aztec and the Mayan, in the same way as Olmec architecture. In fact, the pyramids were widely built throughout the urban centers of Teotihuacán.

Pyramid of the Moon (Teotihuacán)

It was a widely cult-believing civilization. They sacrificed humans to the gods, to ensure that the city remained prosperous and its civilization remained stable. The sacrifices of the Teotihuacanos were made with enemies captured in battle.

Maya

The origin of the Mayan civilization is in the pre-classic period. In fact, the Olmecs were the main Mesoamerican inhabitants who gave rise to the Mayan civilization.

Many cultural aspects of the Olmecs were inherited by the Mayans, although it is not known with certainty where the Olmecs themselves came from.

Mayan pyramid

In principle, the scientific knowledge of the Mayans was Zapotec ideas. The Mayan mathematical and astronomical ideas are Zapotec works developed further by the Mayans themselves.

The calendar, while attributed to the Mayans, was also a Zapotec idea. Likewise, the religious beliefs of the Mayans had enough indications of Teotihuacan beliefs.

All these data suggest that the Mayan civilization arose from the combination of a variety of diverse cultures that inhabited the Mesoamerican region throughout the Pre-Classic period.

References

1. Maya Civilization, Ancient World Encyclopedia, 2012. Taken from ancient.eu
2. Teotihuacan Civilization, New World Encyclopedia, (nd). Taken from newworldencyclopedia.org
3. Zapotec Civilization, Ancient World Encyclopedia, 2013. Taken from ancient.eu
4. Olmec Civilization, Ancient World Encyclopedia, 2018. Taken from ancient.eu
5. Preclassic Period, Mesoamericana Research Center, (nd). Taken from ucsb.edu
6. Chronology: Mesoamerican Timeline, John Pohl's Mesoamerica, (nd). Taken from famsi.org