Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents Summary for Volumes 1, 2 and 3
- Contents
- Volume 1 Maps
- Volume 2 Maps
- Volume 3 Maps
- About the Contributors
- Volume 1
- Volume 2
- V. East Asia
- VI. The Americas
- 2.13 The Americas: DNA
- 2.14 Initial Peopling of the Americas: Context, Findings, and Issues
- 2.15 Paleoindian and Archaic Periods in North America
- 2.16 The Paleoindian and Archaic of Central and South America
- 2.17 The Archaic and Formative Periods of Mesoamerica
- 2.18 Agricultural Origins and Social Implications in South America
- 2.19 The Basin of Mexico
- 2.20 The Olmec, 1800–400 bce
- 2.21 Oaxaca
- 2.22 The Origins and Development of Lowland Maya Civilisation
- 2.23 Early Coastal South America
- 2.24 The Development of Early Peruvian Civilisation (2600–300 bce)
- 2.25 Styles and Identities in the Central Andes: The Early Intermediate Period and Middle Horizon
- 2.26 The Late Intermediate Period and Late Horizon
- 2.27 Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela
- 2.28 Prehistory of Amazonia
- 2.29 Argentina and Chile
- 2.30 The Caribbean Islands
- 2.31 The Southwestern Region of North America
- 2.32 The Pacific Coast of North America
- 2.33 The Great Plains and Mississippi Valley
- 2.34 Eastern Atlantic Coast
- 2.35 Northern North America
- 2.36 The Americas: Languages
- Volume 3
- Index
- References
2.19 - The Basin of Mexico
from VI. - The Americas
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents Summary for Volumes 1, 2 and 3
- Contents
- Volume 1 Maps
- Volume 2 Maps
- Volume 3 Maps
- About the Contributors
- Volume 1
- Volume 2
- V. East Asia
- VI. The Americas
- 2.13 The Americas: DNA
- 2.14 Initial Peopling of the Americas: Context, Findings, and Issues
- 2.15 Paleoindian and Archaic Periods in North America
- 2.16 The Paleoindian and Archaic of Central and South America
- 2.17 The Archaic and Formative Periods of Mesoamerica
- 2.18 Agricultural Origins and Social Implications in South America
- 2.19 The Basin of Mexico
- 2.20 The Olmec, 1800–400 bce
- 2.21 Oaxaca
- 2.22 The Origins and Development of Lowland Maya Civilisation
- 2.23 Early Coastal South America
- 2.24 The Development of Early Peruvian Civilisation (2600–300 bce)
- 2.25 Styles and Identities in the Central Andes: The Early Intermediate Period and Middle Horizon
- 2.26 The Late Intermediate Period and Late Horizon
- 2.27 Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela
- 2.28 Prehistory of Amazonia
- 2.29 Argentina and Chile
- 2.30 The Caribbean Islands
- 2.31 The Southwestern Region of North America
- 2.32 The Pacific Coast of North America
- 2.33 The Great Plains and Mississippi Valley
- 2.34 Eastern Atlantic Coast
- 2.35 Northern North America
- 2.36 The Americas: Languages
- Volume 3
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Mesoamerica is one of the few areas in the world where archaic state societies emerged. In this vast territory that includes more than half of Mexico, as well as Guatemala, Belize and parts of Honduras and El Salvador, different types of states coexisted in the so-called Classic Period (100–900 ce). This chapter will deal with one of the major regions where large multiethnic states and cities developed, a volcanic and seismic region characterised by a lacustrine environment and a diversity of resources (obsidian to the northeast, aquatic animals and plants, forest resources, agricultural land, volcanic rocks, etc.).
As Sanders, Parsons and Santley (1979: 1–2) put it, the Basin of Mexico played a significant role in the development of Mesoamerican civilisation:
At the time of the Spanish Conquest, it had the densest population, the largest and most highly differentiated urban centers, and the most complex political and economic organization in the history of Mesoamerican civilization.
An important effort to understand the Basin of Mexico was a long-term project during the 1950s through 1970s, headed by José Luis Lorenzo, at the former Department of Prehistory (of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico), aimed at understanding the geological, glaciological, geomorphological, palaeoenvironmental and early occupational history of the basin (Lorenzo & Mirambell 1986; Lorenzo 1969; Mooser, Lorenzo & White 1956).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge World Prehistory , pp. 986 - 1004Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014