Lecture : Mesoamerican Civilization
Document Summary
Main city originally is san lorenzo 1200 bce - 900 bce. 4 points correspond to cardinal points on a compass. Believed at one point there would have been colossal heads acting as guardians for the. Centered in the gulf of mex (now veracruz and tabasco) Rise of la vents temple on the four points. Some sort of organized religion headed by priest. Caves - meeting place of earth and underworld. Only sculpted head bc of the belief that the head bears the soul. Believed that the rules could transform into those animals when necessary. Believed that 4 dwarfs held up the sky. Emerged where ether was 3 civilizations, but they become dominant. When the zapotecs conquer, they force whoever they conquered to change their culture and take the zapotec style. Needed other agricultural methods to develop food for population. Developed one of the earliest writing systems. Harvest multiple times a year (3-4 depending on rain)
