The Earilest Mesoamerican Civilizations - 2022

Mother

Civilizations of
the Americas

World History 11-15-23

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Learning Goal:

How did early Meso and South American civilizations influence
those that came after?

Key Vocabulary:

• Mesoamerica – middle American cultures that share characteristics

• Olmec – earliest known civilization that influenced Zapotec, Maya, Aztec and others

• Glyphs – hieroglyphics or pictograms that convey sounds, ideas and meaning – form of written

language

• Zapotec – Mesoamerican civilization that came after the Olmec, has its own language, originated

from the Oaxaca region. Language still spoken today

• Chavin - predecessor of the Inca, influenced its architecture, religion and other cultural aspects

What is the Legacy of Early Civilizations in the
Americas?

• Mesoamerica is a region that is defined by the cultural

similarities of its indigenous populations.

• It extends from central Mexico through most of Central America,

including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and
Costa Rica.

• The Aztecs and the Mayas are the most famous civilizations to

thrive in this region, but they weren't the first.

Timeline

Q1: Which civilizations came before the Maya

and Aztec and likely influenced their cultures?

Archeological Record
Reveals History

• Most of what is known about pre-Columbian

civilizations (means before Columbus came to
Americas) like the Olmec and Zapotec comes
from their archeological record.

• These are the monuments, statues, ruins, and

small daily items that have survived the
millennia.

In this photo from 2007, researchers excavate a
site that shows clear Olmec influence, despite
being hundreds of miles from the center of the
Olmec territory.

THE OLMEC – “MOTHER” CIVILIZATION

• The first great civilization in Mesoamerica was the Olmec, which flourished in southern Mexico from

1200 to 400 BCE. The Olmec are the earliest civilization with a large number of surviving artifacts in
North America. The spread of their artifacts around the region shows that the Olmec had a great deal of
influence on neighboring and later cultures.

• As with many ancient civilizations, our knowledge of the Olmec culture is primarily gleaned from

archaeological records. Olmec monuments, pyramids, and pottery that have been found at their major
sites in San Lorenzo and La Venta.

• However, the Olmec did not leave a rich written record, we do not know a large amount about their

world for certain.

• In the 20th century, archeologists began finding stones and objects with engraved glyphs. These

symbols may have been the Olmec writing system. These carvings provide us with new information
about the Olmec. For example, at least 10 separate gods were found in the carvings, which led
archaeologists to the conclusion that the Olmec were a polytheistic society, meaning they worshipped
many gods.

Q2 - What information did archeologists find out about the Olmec?

Open Ended

Q2: What information did archeologists find out about the Olmec?

THE OLMEC

• The people we call "Olmec" did not use that name for themselves. Olmec is a modernized

version of Olmecatl, which is an Aztec word meaning "rubber people." The Aztecs gave
them this name because the Olmec used latex from rubber trees to create rubber. This
shows that the Olmec were technologically advanced.

• The most recognizable artifacts of the Olmec civilization are their massive, carved stone

heads -- believed to be portraits of Olmec rulers. The heads can be found at San Lorenzo,
the oldest known Olmec settlement.

• The massive monuments show us that the Olmec had a complex society and were

building towns before the rest of Mesoamerican civilization became sophisticated.

• The heads can also be found at La Venta, which was once the most important settlement

in Mesoamerica. Today, a series of tombs, pavements, and monuments are all that
remain of the city that was built in alignment with a constellation or star. The design and
layout of La Venta tells us that the Olmec, like the great Mesoamerican civilizations that
came after them, had an interest in and knowledge of astronomy.

• We also know that the Olmec had a vast trading network around the region. From their

monuments and art, we know their society was complex. The Olmec society thrived until
400 BCE, after which the Olmec no longer dominated the region.

Q3 – CITE TEXT EVIDENCE – What does the alignment of the monuments at La Venta reveal about the
Olmec’s interests?

The massive stone heads of the Olmec

Open Ended

Q3 – CITE TEXT EVIDENCE – What does the alignment of the monuments at La Venta reveal about the Olmec’s interests?

(Write a full sentence and quote text evidence.)

THE ZAPOTEC

• After the decline of the Olmec people, other civilizations

vied for control of the region.

• One particularly well-known group is the Zapotec, who

first developed their society in what is now the state of
Oaxaca in southern Mexico.

• Like their contemporaries, the Mixtec (Mixteca) and the

Mayans, the Zapotec were likely influenced by the Olmec.

• In the 700s BCE, the Zapotec began constructing a city

located at Monte Albán. This city included pyramids,
elaborate tombs, and even a ball field.

• It is likely that the inhabitants of this city had a written

calendar and language, as well. The settlement at Monte
Albán flourished primarily from 300 to 900 CE.

• During that time, it was the largest and most important

center in Mesoamerica. In the last centuries before the
Spanish conquest, the settlement became less important
and was inhabited by the Mixtec, whose culture merged
with that of the Zapotec.

Q4 -- What did the Zapotec build at Monte Alban?

Olmec influence can be seen in the ruins of later
civilizations like the Zapotec, whose city of Monte Albán
shown here.

Open Ended

Q4: What did the Zapotec build at Monte Alban? Write a full sentence and cite text evidence.

Multiple Choice

Q5 -- What other Mezoamerican cultures that came after the Zapotec would have had pyramids and tombs?

• The Olmec

• The Maya and Aztec

• The Spanish

• The Chavin

THE ZAPOTEC

• Thousands of Zapotec still live in
Oaxaca. Most are farmers or
craftsmen, and they speak several
dialects of Zapotec.
• Although the Olmec people did
not survive to modernity, the
effects of their culture survive in
modern Zapotec people.
• Since the Spanish conquest, the
Zapotec have practiced Roman
Catholicism, but their original
myths and traditions survive as
well.

Unlike the Olmec, who died out long before the Spanish arrived
in the Americas, the Zapotec were still living in Central America
during the period of European exploration. For this reason, the
Zapotec language and some of its culture continue to survive in
parts of Mexico.

Q6: Explain some of the cultural elements of the Zapotec that survived to today.

Open Ended

Q6: Explain some of the cultural elements of the Zapotec people that survived to today?

Open Ended

 

The Chavin were an early civilization in Peru, South America.  They were considered to influence the Inca who came after them. 

Q7-- In your own opinion, what is most interesting about the Chavin and its ceremonial center depicted in the video.

Multiple Choice

Q8: Review: Which civilizations are considered the "mother civilizations" of the Maya and the Aztec?

• Zapotec and the Olmec

• Inca and the Chavin

• Olmec and the Chavin

Multiple Choice

Q9: Review: Which civilization is considered the "mother civilization" of the Inca?

• Zapotec

• Olmec

• Chavin

• The Spanish