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Picture a huge, bustling city, stretching for several square miles. Monumental
buildings rise high in the sky, beautifully decorated with sculptures. Smaller
buildings are homes to the residents. A grass playing field is off to the
side; a system of roadways and drainage can be noted. The people who live
here all read; all possess books. Their calendars predict the movements
of the solar system. Their skills in mathematics, astronomy, art and language
are highly developed. In fact, they are more advanced than any other civilization
in the world at that time. Would you be surprised to know that this describes
México? And that it describes México in the years B.C.? (100 B.C., to be
exact?) Yes, it was here in México, that a civilization, more technologically
and artistically advanced than anywhere else in the world at that time,
thrived. The early settlers of México arrived more than 40, 000 years ago.
They were migrants, who left Asia to walk across the Bering Straits of Alaska.
They moved down the continent of North America, finally settling in México.
These people became the most advanced of Indian groups in North America.
The earliest villages in México date back to 3000 B.C. Corn, beans and squash
were their basic diet. Originally a small, wild grass with only two seeds,
corn was improved to produce small cobs, about the size of a thumb. With
this development, the people did not have to continue their search for food,
and were able to settle down in one place. The earliest pieces of pottery
found date back to around 2300 B.C. Pottery helped life in the villages
become more comfortable. Elaborate pieces of pottery from this early time
have been found; most represent humans and animals. The culture of the Olmec
Indians flourished from 800 B.C. to 400 B.C., primarily in central México,
and along the southern coast. This ancient civilization was highly developed,
with skills in astronomy, mathematics and art. They produced a calendar
and used a written language. The Olmecs' greatest achievements were in sculpture,
especially in creating huge stone heads. The reason for their decline is
a mystery. However, a recently discovered buried city, near Colima, flourished
in the years 900 B.C. to 100 B.C., stretching for miles to the volcanoes.
The god they worshipped was the god of the volcanoes. It was their god that
ended their civilization. |
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When the volcano erupted, the city was buried. This may have been a city
developed by the Olmecs. It is thought that the Maya descended from the
Olmecs. Maya civilization reached its peak between A.D. 300 to 900. This
period of time was the most remarkable period in the development of central
and southern México. México's first noteworthy urban civilizations were
built. They were more advanced than their contemporaries in any other part
of the world. All of México was literate. Most people possessed books, which
were made of bark-paper or deer-skin, and folded like a screen. Hieroglyphic
writing was used. Maps were highly developed; tabacco smoking was popular.
The Maya made landmark scientific discoveries, such as the mathematical
concept of zero. With an extensive knowledge of astromony, they developed
a calendar that allowed them to predict eclipses and plot the movements
of the solar system. They evolved a highly refined hieroglyphic writing
system. Without the benefit of metal, monumental cities and ceremonial centers
were built. Metal was unknown until 900 A.D. A fantastic number of buildings
were built, decorated with beautiful frescoes, covered with sculpture. Pottery
and figurines were produced in large quantities. The Mayan Empire was unique;
nothing like it has ever been discovered by archeologists. Their buildings
continue to elicit wonder. While Rome was collapsing, brilliantly-colored
buildings were rising from the jungle floor. While Europe was suffering
through the Dark Ages, Mayan civilization flourished. In sharp contrast
to thier refined achievements, the Maya participated in human sacrifices
and ritual blood letting. They believed this helped them communicate with
their gods. They were war-like, warring with other cultures to get victims
for their sacrificial rites. By the time the Spanish invaders arrived in
the 1500s, there was little left of the former glory of the once-mighty
Maya civilization. It is thought the causes were many: Invaders from the
north, over-population, drought, crop failure and a change in focus from
religious to military concerns. Coming in the next issue: the Aztec empire
-- a brilliant and final flicker of native civilization -- is conquered
by Cortes, causing one of the greatest cultural calamaties in the history
of the world. |
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