The Cultural Tapestry of Mesoamerica

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies Volume 22 | Number 2 Article 2 2013 The Cultural Tapestry of Mesoamerica Mark Alan Wright Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Wright, Mark Alan (2013) "The Cultural Tapestry of Mesoamerica," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 22 : No. 2 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol22/iss2/2 This Feature Article is brought to you for free and open access by the All Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact , . Title The Cultural Tapestry of Mesoamerica Author(s) Mark Alan Wright Reference Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/2 (2013): 4–21. ISSN 1948-7487 (print), 2167-7565 (online) Abstract Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica was populated by scores of distinctive cultural groups. Such groups are identified archaeologically by their stylistically unique material cultures, from small, portable ceramic objects to large-scale monumental architecture, as well as through distinctive artistic, religious, and linguistic evidence. Significant interaction took place between these distinctive peoples and cultures, and some major metropolitan areas were home to different ethnic groups. This paper offers a brief glimpse at some of the cultures that inhabited the major geographical regions of Mesoamerica throughout its threethousand-year history and explores the cultural diversity that existed within and between regions. THE CULTURAL TAPESTRY OF MESOAMERICA MARK ALAN WRIGHT T he Mesoamerican landscape was home to countless cultures throughout its pre-Columbian history. As anthropologist Vernon Scarborough noted, it is “one of the most diverse cultural 1 and geographical areas of the world.” Some of these cultures are well known, such as the Olmec, Maya, and Aztecs, but the majority of these ancient societies remain obscure. The major cultural zones in Mesoamerica include the Central Highlands, Oaxaca, Maya Highlands, Northern Maya Lowlands, Southern Maya Lowlands, Gulf Coast, North Central Mexico, Northwest Mexico, Northeastern Mexico, Western Mexico, and Southeastern Mesoamerica. There was a great deal of interaction within and between these zones over the centuries and millennia. Space does not permit even a cursory overview of all these areas, but I will briefly explore some of the more significant regions and the attributes that made their cultures unique. My purpose here is to stimulate a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the great diversity of cultures that inhabited preColumbian Mesoamerica. Temple II at Tikal, Guatemala. Classic period Maya temples from the Peten region tended to be dramatically steep and towering. Courtesy of Christian Schoen, amazingtemples.com. FROM THE EDITOR: With this article, Mark Wright dispels some common assumptions about Mesoamerican history, language, and culture. In my own youthful naivete, I grew up thinking that the Maya and the Aztecs made up the sum of Mesoamerican life. Mark paints a compelling and much more nuanced tapestry of this part of the “promised land.” No monolithic societies here. 4 VOLUME 22 • NUMBER 2 • 2013 JOURNAL OF THE BOOK OF MORMON AND OTHER RESTORATION SCRIPTURE 5 Chronology Mesoamerican prehistory is sometimes very roughly lumped into three categories—the Preclassic (2000 bc–ad 250), Classic (ad 250–900), and Postclassic (ad 900–1519) periods, but it is far more complicated than that. To get a complete picture of Mesoamerica, we must also take into account the Paleo-Indian and Archaic periods and subdivide all later periods into even smaller units (see table 1). Somewhat confusingly, the Preclassic is also known as the Formative period, which is often subdivided into Early, Middle, and Late Formative periods. These periods are followed by the Early Classic, Late Classic, Epi-Classic (which primarily affected the Central Mexican area), Terminal Classic, Early Postclassic, and Late Postclassic periods (see table 1). As we shall see, a myriad of cultures expanded and contracted across the landscape within and between these periods, some with widespread and enduring influence, others being more ephemeral. Defining Mesoamerica The term Mesoamerica (“Middle America”) was first coined in 1943 by the German-Mexican anthro2 pologist Paul Kirchhoff. The area is not defined by strict geographic boundaries but rather refers to dozens of distinctive cultures (that nevertheless shared certain traits) that inhabited large portions of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and to a lesser degree extended down into El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Archaeologists and anthropologists debate exactly how far the boundaries stretched north and south, as frontier zones are typically complex mixtures of multiple cultures that defy easy classification. The diagnostic traits that Kirchhoff identified as markers of Mesoamerican culture include the production of ceramic goods, advanced agricultural techniques (with heavy reliance on corn, beans, and squash), obsidian tools and weaponry, developed writing systems, bark paper, time reckoning according to the solar calendar, ritual human sacrifice, stepped pyramids, a game played with a rubber ball on I-shaped courts, and long-distance trade networks (which were used not only for the exchange of goods but also for the spread of ideology). Because of the extraordinarily diverse cultural landscape and the challenges of interpreting the archaeological record, scholars debate the precise chronologies, spheres of influence, and cultural 6 VOLUME 22 • NUMBER 2 • 2013 Table 1. Periods in Mesoamerican prehistory Period Dates Paleo-Indian 10,000–3500 bc Archaic 3500–1800 bc Early Formative 2000–1000 bc Middle Formative 1000–400 bc Late Formative 400 bc–ad 250 Early Classic ad 250–600 Late Classic ad 600–900 Epi-Classic (Central Mexico) ad 650–900 Terminal Classic ad 900–1000 Early Postclassic ad 1000–1200 Late Postclassic ad 1200–1519 boundaries of Mesoamerica. Literally thousands of archaeological sites dot the Mesoamerican landscape, the vast majority of which we know virtually nothing about, other than their locations. In the Maya area alone are approximately six thousand known sites, of which fewer than fifty have undergone systematic 3 archaeological excavation. Classic period sites have traditionally been the focus of excavations, while Preclassic/Formative sites have largely been ignored by archaeologists and looters alike since the artifacts tend to be less valuable or exciting. Likewise, archaeologists have always had a bias toward excavating large capital cities that are known to have large temples, palaces, tombs, and monumental inscriptions while neglecting small or even medium-sized 4 settlements. Archaeologists estimate that less than 1 percent (...truncated)