Mesoamerica And The Andes: A Comparative Analysis

b. To what extent has the history of Mesoamerica been taught from a Eurocentric perspective? What theories, ideas, and/or terminology are problematic when trying to assert an Indigenous perspective? (For example: Bering Strait, Malintzin, Cuauhtemoc, Human Sacrifice...there are many more examples!)

For example, the people of the Eastern Woodlands would set controlled fires to the trees and plants in their area in order to allow new plants to grow in, and to make hunting easier. Furthermore, the Pueblo peoples north of Mexico developed irrigation systems to take advantage of the area’s scarce water supply. Finally, many of the native people in the Great Plains and Rockies would domesticate horses in order to use them to hunt, or during warfare.

The development of agriculture by Native Americans more than five thousand years ago sparked new cultures and innovations. Hunters who previously roamed the land like nomads established permanent villages. Corn, sun, and water became focal points for many societies and played

Mesoamerica have been connected the North and South America culturally and geographically throughout the history. Mesoamerican culture and aspects heavily influenced southwestern United States, being the frontier borderline between North America and Mesoamerica. It is very important to study the relationship between the Mesoamerica and American Southwest because American Southwest contains various elements of Mesoamerican culture and this provides fundamental information about human behaviors, history, interactions, and tradition in America. Our group has selected Agriculture, Architecture, Religion, and Trade as our categories to analyze the relationship between American southwest and Mesoamerica. Fair trade, we will focus on scarlet macaws and how it got traded from Mesoamerica in the American southwest and its significance. For architecture, we will compare the ball courts of Hohokam and that of Mesoamerica. Significance of ball courts and how it got introduced into the American southwest from Mesoamerica will be discussed as well. Religion will be analyzed by focusing on the cosmological beliefs of both groups and the similarities and differences between Mesoamerican cosmology and American southwest cosmology.

Throughout history people have changed their environment to meet their needs these changes have had both positive and negative effects on people, societies, and regions. These change to the environment are needed first for the aztecs because the aztec built their capital in a middle of a lake then they had to expand but they could not feed all the people so when they built chinampas it help the aztec give more food to their people. That did not feed all their people so The Aztecs also implemented terrace agriculture in hilly areas, or areas that could not be used for level ground farming. In the valleys irrigation farming was used. Dams diverted water from natural springs to the fields. This allowed for harvests on a regular basis. the ancient

Corn crops were a staple life force in the early cultures of the natives. This caused the natives to cease their early practices of hunting, gathering and moving from place to place. It helped them transform into a more agricultural society. This crop was high in yield which could sustain a large population, therefore contributing to a growth and stability of their civilizations

Natives managed to genetically engineer plants in drastic ways, managing to make plants such as maize usable almost everywhere. Strains where made that could survive in severe weather, such as extreme cold or short harvesting months. The more variety of foods that grew in crops and different climates gave more people the ability to live in one place in larger numbers.

There were several ancient civilizations that built their cultures around their geography. The Incas were among one of those ancient civilizations. They had amazing ingenuity to make use of their environment. The Incas built agriculture terraces and they had a complex irrigation system. And some crops that we use today. The physical environment of the Incas affected and shaped their civilization.

Virtually every aspect of life was affected by the Andes Mountain Range. The steep slopes, climate and altitude, forced the development of resilient breeds of crops such as potatoes, quinoa and corn. (Graber, 2011). The mountains were worshipped as gods and stone from the mountains were carved with great precision to create large cites and temples right into the sides of the mountains. For all of the reasons, The Andes Mountains are certainly one of the greatest contributors to the development of the ancient people of South American.

The technology that Mesoamerica was famous for came when humans fist discovered and entered the Americas. They had their tools with them which quickly spread across the land and were often found in the ancient people’s graves. After the tools spread, they began to improve. For example, they were used for agriculture in document 7, the Indians were using tools to plant and harvest corn. Soon, Mesoamerica began to improve even more

The Aztecs, just like any living being needed food to survive. Agriculture provided food since it was the practice of farming and became crucial. The Aztec farmers did not only grow food for themselves, but also enough for their entire cities, like Tenochtitlan (Doc B). This played a major role in trade and the economy. The farmers used Chinampas which were small mounds of land that were very fertile ( they are still being used today in Mexico City) to farm. Agriculture did not only help the Aztec people but also many people that they traded with. Agriculture helped the Aztecs develop and expand as a civilization/empire. This is why agriculture should be

Geography and the environment play a monumental role in the establishment and success of a nearly every civilization. For example, rivers bring water and allow for agricultural development, while mountains or deserts provide for protection and create a barrier. Many things, such as the aforementioned deserts and mountains, can offer both positive and negative influences on the society in question. The climate and amount of rainfall is directly related to the success or failure of crop growing, and thus related to the amount of time spent on simply surviving. Civilizations that are able to spend less time on subsistence farming are able to redirect that energy towards the establishment of arts, culture, religion, and science. Where a

The ancient world of Mesoamerica entered a long period of change that soon led to the development a mammoth city that would serve as a regional center for more than 600 years. Beginning in about 1000 B.C. the majority of the people in the Valley of Mexico relocated to one of two primary sites, that of Cuicuilco in the southwest corner and Teotihuacan in the northeast. By about 300 B.C., Cuicuilco dominated the region, but its heyday would soon diminish. (Sabloff 2000, p 60)

Throughout the three civilizations, various methods of dealing with crops were introduced in attempts of increasing yield and production. The Olmecs developed irrigation, which made agriculture an important element of Mesoamerican life as it brought surpluses that led to population growth and civilization expansion. Alongside irrigation is the extensive planting and harvesting of crops like beans, squash, and especially maize that became the basis and stable crops of the community. The Mayans continued the agricultural success of the preceding people by draining swamps and erecting platforms for farming. These two practices greatly expanded the amount of land agriculture could take place in a geography without vast fertile lands, further leading to population boost and empire building in addition to the long-lasting practice of irrigation. With with the aid of innovations made into reality by the two previous groups of people, the Aztecs kept the tradition of constant improvement to current conditions. Building up on the Mayan efforts of draining swamps, the Aztecs developed Chinampas. These aquatic water beds that acted as floating islands extended the existing use of irrigation on the rich aquatic environment of the capital, Tenochtitlan. With these multiple examples and instances of agricultural advancements that continued and improved on the products and practices of previous civilizations, changes still coexist in the middle as the use of calendar differed from one civilization to the next despite sharing a root of calendar

Mesoamerica was a place where people shared similar traditions and customs creating a unified region. Mesoamerica is one of the only six primary cultures in the world where human culture and civilization started. The people here share common cultural elements including, the calendar, hyroglific writing, astronomy, monumental architecture and complex religious systems. The Aztecs followed complex agricultural practices as well. Like other aspects of this society, Aztec agriculture was highly developed. Some of the domestic plants brought over by Mesoamerica include: avocado, agave, amaranth, gourds, cashew, chyota, chia, chili peppers, beans, papayas, peanuts, prickly pear, pumpkin, yucca, vanilla, sweet potato, Tabaco, cocoa, cochinilla, and