9781422286838

Ancient Land with a Fascinating Past: The History of Mexico

The culture of all these ancient Mesoamerican civilizations still plays an important role in Mexico, for it continues to influence the art and culture of today’s Mexicans. Mexican artists draw inspiration from these ancient roots, and the food, the language, and even the games that Mexicans enjoy all contain echoes from these long-ago ancestors. But other new cultures arose in Mexico. The Maya were the most influential culture in Mesoamerica from about A . D . 250 to 900. During the peak of their power, their empire stretched throughout the Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo. They even extended into what are now the countries of Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. Another culture at this time was the

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Totonac civilization. These people built the city of El Tajín, which flourished from about A . D . 600 to 1200. They lived on the east coast of Mexico and in the mountains, and shared many similarities with the Maya, with whom they probably traded and occasionally fought against. People of all cultures apparently lived together at Teotihuacán, one of the earliest and largest cities to develop in ancient Mexico. Located in the Valley of Mexico, Teotihuacán was a cultural and economic center of Mesoamerica. Eight miles square, the city was filled with large pyramids, wide streets, and a variety of shops and religious

The Olmecs are thought to be the original inventors of the game tlachtli , although later

cultures like the Aztecs also played this game. The game is played on a court shaped like a capital H. Two sides compete, attempting to knock the ball into the opponent’s side of the court. Although the contestants wore heavy padding, serious injury and even death resulted in some of these competitions. Nevertheless it was considered an exciting sport for nobles to watch and usually a good deal of betting took place on the outcome of the game.