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Dbq Essay On Mesoamerican Civilization

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Before the arrival of Columbus in the Americas, there were several Mesoamerican civilizations throughout a period of thousands of years. Many of these civilizations attained remarkable accomplishments in fields, ranging all the way from mathematics to agriculture. In example, one renowned civilization, the Maya, developed a complex system of written language that enabled them to keep record of significant events. The Mayan city-states built magnificent temples for rituals and religious purposes that connected the kings to the gods. Additionally, many civilizations of Mesoamerica implemented advanced technologies, such as irrigation, which was considered crucial, especially to those residing in the deserts of the Southwestern parts of North …show more content…

One example is an illustration drawn on a ceramic jar that depicts the Mayans partaking in the ball game ceremony (Document 1). The ball game was considered as a sport played by major Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Aztecs and the Olmecs. The losing team of this particular sport was offered as candidates for human sacrifice to the gods. This indicates the Mesoamericans’ devotion towards their religion; they even incorporated religious aspects in to their game. According to archaeologists, this ancient game was said to be played with a hard rubber ball, and the players were equipped with heavy chest and waist pads for protection (due to its dangers). The game is associated with a creation myth, which conveys that it had significant religious meanings. In other words, this illustration was the Mayan artist’s expression of religious rituals and ideas to the general public. Another example of the portrayal of religion is the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico (Document 4). This was a religious pyramid dedicated to the Moon, and this grandiose and massive architectural structure was built for the purpose of worshiping the gods. Out of more than twenty other temples devoted to the gods, this pyramid was considered to be the second largest. This evidently portrays the creators’ intentions in creating this magnificent building (for worship), as they were heavily influenced by religion. This architectural structure implemented for worshipping the gods is much like the ziggurats, created by Ancient Mesopotamian cities. Ziggurats are also religious structures in the shape of a pyramid, used to honor the gods. Thus, religious beliefs and ideas greatly influenced the artistic and architectural structures that were

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The Mayans were just one of several civilizations in Mesoamerica that accomplished many achievements. They had one of the greatest pre-industrial architectural cultures, started a trade network, formed a number system and were one of the first to use the number zero, and created a calendar based off what they saw. The trade network was significant as it allowed the Mayan tribes to trade for necessities, such as salt and cacao, and helped spread their culture (Doc A). The remains of the strong buildings built by the Mayans proved they were one of the “greatest preindustrial cultures of the world” in their time (Doc B). The accuracy and time measurements of their calendars were better than any other, and allowed them to predict the weather and

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So far they have found 13 different courts and they all have a flat linear surface established by two parallel buildings. Other courts had rings attached to the baskets like in basketball, but with horizontal walls. For the Maya, the ballgame represented life, death, and reincarnation. On the other hand, the Aztecs had slightly different rules.

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In the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican time period in history, there were many groups of Native Americans that had diverse cultures and societies. The technological and intellectual advancements in these societies, depended on where they were located in Mesoamerica. The Native Americans discovered many things that could help them live an advanced and satisfying life. Each tribe had different necessities and objects that they needed in order to survive. The Native American cultures in these areas had various developments that the different European cultures could use to make themselves more powerful and become strong enough to annihilate many of the Native American cultures.

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Around 1800 B.C. to A.D. 250, the Mayans prospered in Central America and became one of the famous empires of all time (Jarus). Because this civilization conquered so long ago, it is important to know how they were successful in doing so. Just like the Aztecs and Incas, the Mayan society learned how to grow and prosper through farming (Jarus). The Mayan empire is also known for constructing large pyramids for their gods, and also for the creation of hieroglyphics (Jarus). The Mayans were very smart and created an empire like no other in the Americas.

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Even if the Mayans also made temples, it was more extraordinary to see how the Aztecs had absolutely nothing but were able to work with what they had. At the same time, the Aztec had an advanced system for writing and keeping records. The Aztecs used hieroglyphics just like Egyptians, but there 's were a little different. Aztecs writing, “...had three primary functions, namely to mark calendrical dates, to record accounting mathematical calculations, and to write names of people and places”(Lawrence Lo, 2012). This was different than everybody else 's writing because they didn 't have an actual alphabet.

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In the pre-Columbus Americas three societies, the Mayans, Olmecs, and Incas were able to flourish without some of the advanced technology that the Europeans of the time had. Although some of these societies innovations and technology were similar to the Europeans, they were not as advanced or as strong. The way we look at the Mayans, Olmecs, and Incas of this time should be looked at as advanced and intelligent societies. The Olmec society is considered to be the foundation of all civilizations in Mesoamerica that followed them.

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Aside from being depicted in Mesoamerican artwork, the concept of death in Mexico also tells the story of the imposition of Catholicism on Mesoamerican civilizations during colonial Mexico. Artwork during this time period illustrates images of death, such as a deceased nun, a masked death, devil and devil dancers, and ancient decorated skulls (Carmichael and Slayer 1992, 36). According to Stanley Brandes, scholars often have a difficult time minimizing the role of the Zapotec natives while simultaneously emphasizing on the European origins of the Day of the Dead holiday. Much of the pre-Columbian antecedents steams from the iconography of ancient civilizations living throughout Mesoamerica. This includes its huge amounts of skulls and skeletons during the modern Day of the Dead rituals as well as the variations of the meaning of the skeletal depictions as it differs from region to region.

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In the Western Hemisphere, no early civilization was more remarkable than the Maya. The Maya are the best-known classical civilizations of Mesoamerica, originating in the state in southeastern Mexico, Yucatan at around 2000 B.C. They rose to importance around A.D. 250 in present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and northern Belize. The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Maya peoples. As being the most remarkable civilization in the Western Hemisphere, the Maya produced an extensive range of structures, and have left a great architectural legacy that places the Maya civilization as one of the great preindustrial civilizations of the world.

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This head-shaped vessel from Ancient Maya civilization is a very visually striking object, crafted from clay and shaped to resemble a human or animal head, with a round body and a narrow neck. The head would be finely detailed, with painted or etched facial features such as eyes, a nose, and a mouth, as well as intricate hairstyles or decorative headdresses. The vessel would have an opening at the top of the head or neck to allow for the pouring of liquids and the surface of the vessel would be smooth and polished, and it may be decorated with intricate patterns or designs. Furthermore, head-shaped vessels were used in various religious ceremonies and rituals, often serving as containers for offerings to the gods, and placed in tombs as grave goods, serving as provisions for the deceased in the afterlife. The head was a particularly important symbol in Maya religion, and head-shaped vessels would have been connected with symbolic significance in this context, reflecting the skill and artistry of Maya artisans.

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1432 Words | 6 Pages

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Those temples held important ceremonies for the purpose of worshipping their gods. As a research of archeologists, a lot of humans skulls were found near the tower on the edge of the Tamplo Mayor, a temple used to the Aztec god of sun, war, and human sacrifice. Suprisingly, almost those skulls were from women and children. Researchers were expecting just men because they thought young

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Within the walls of Tikal and Copán, they ruled by a god-king and were considered independent city-states, serving religious ceremonial and trade purposes. Continuing, Mayan cities would uniquely contain ball courts which were composed of a stone-sided playing field; the game was played for religious and political purposes. Finally, Mayans believed that these ball

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The Mayas were the first civilization in the Americas. As such, due to a surplus in agricultural production, some accumulated wealth. As a result, social classes emerged. In addition to kings and ruling families, Maya society included a large class of priests who maintained an elaborate calendar and transmitted knowledge of writing, astronomy, and mathematics. A hereditary nobility owned most land and cooperated with the kings and the priests by organizing military forces and participating in religious rituals.

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As a civilization in the jungle, the Maya are well known for their architecture, art, monumental sculptures, and calendars. The Mayan religious, ritualistic culture is developed and maintained in conjunction of the native people, as well as a communication and ties to the earth and sky. Understanding the Maya people and their religion is similar to understanding the geographical location of the people, and therefore their life source. There is great importance within the items that surrounded them geographically. Products or resources that sustained them as a community, or maintained their health and wellbeing, also created foundations for their religious belief system.

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