Pre-Columbian Mexico

Pre-Columbian Civilizations

Pre-Columbian Mexico was the home of many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Olmec civilization, the Maya, Teotihuacan city, the Zapotec, Mixtec, and the Aztec before first contact with Europeans. These civilizations are credited with many inventions and advancements in various fields such as architecture, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and theology.

A panoramic view of an ancient Olmec city, with large stone structures and pyramids.

Olmec Civilization

The Olmec civilization, which was prevalent from 1400 BCE to about 400 BCE, was the first major civilization in Mexico. They are often considered the mother culture of later Mesoamerican civilizations. The Olmec heartland, the area where the culture is understood to have had maximum impact, is located in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.

Maya Civilization

The Maya civilization was one of the most dominant indigenous societies of Mesoamerica, primarily in the present-day states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula. They are renowned for their highly sophisticated writing system, as well as their remarkable achievements in art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical systems.

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan was a large pre-Columbian city located in the Basin of Mexico. At its zenith, perhaps in the first half of the first millennium CE, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. The city was filled with religious, cultural, and commercial centers that were influential throughout the Mesoamerican world.

Zapotec Civilization

The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca in Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence shows their culture goes back at least 2,500 years. They left archaeological evidence at the ancient city of Monte Albán in the form of buildings, ball courts, magnificent tombs, and grave goods including finely worked gold jewelry.

Mixtec Civilization

The Mixtec were one of the major civilizations of Mesoamerica. They established their culture in the region of Oaxaca and expanded their influence to Puebla, Guerrero, and perhaps as far as the Valley of Mexico. The Mixtec are well known for their codices, or phonetic pictures in which they wrote their history and genealogies in deerskin in the "fold-book" form.

Aztec Civilization

The Aztec civilization was a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec culture is generally grouped with the cultural complex known as the Nahuas because the culture was spoken by them. The Aztec civilization was incredibly complex socially, politically, and religiously.