Mysterious Mesoamerican Cultures

By NORAH ROMNEY

Mayan ideas spread via broadcast and influenced divergent cultures and languages. It is possible to trace the influence of the Mayan civilization far beyond its confines (400 to 600 A.D.). One or two of these lesser civilizations may have existed contemporaneously with the great Mayan civilization, but most were at their best long after the great culture had declined. This chapter will emphasize the ties between these lesser civilizations and the Mayas and analyze their characteristics.

Toward Mexico and the Isthmus of Panama, we will proceed northwest. Along the Gulf of Mexico and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Mayas developed their arts of life in narrowing bands. In terms of importance, Comalcalco appears to be the most westerly Mayan city. A large ruin is also located near San Andres Tuxtla, and the Tuxtla Statuette is among the earliest dated Maya objects. Archaic and Maya figurines coexist in this coastal belt, where arid and humid conditions coexist. Mayan culture may have originated here. Little has been studied on the archaeology of this part of Mexico.

Although the earliest known rubber specimens were found at Chichen Itza's Sacred Cenote, the material's ceremonial and practical uses are primarily related to the Olmeca and Totonac cultures. In southern Vera Cruz and western Tabasco, where the Aztecs later called Nonoalco, the Olmeca may be found. Ancient Mexican traditions frequently mention this region as a symbol of Maya civilization. Incense, water-proofing, drumstick tips, etc., were all made from rubber. There was also a sacred game played with a large rubber ball, with goals set high in parallel walls of a specially constructed court, which could be compared to basketball.

Olmeca may have been a Mayan tribe, but they may also have spoken Mexican. The Olmeca ruled parts of the Mexican highlands before the Toltecs, according to Ixtlilxochitl's history. When the Toltec empire collapsed, they may have fled south, for we find a group of this name in Nicaragua at the time of the Conquest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DTTV PUBLICATIONS
• Release date: Aug 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201298388

NORAH ROMNEY

Norah Romney is a Maori- Inuit ambassador with lineage to both cultures, she was orphaned early in her life losing both parents in a plane crash in the Pacific, she was adopted in the UK to  a family of archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and folklorists. She is the first woman to be appointed as a lecturer in ethno-archaeology, and cultural folklorist as ambassador to to the Inuit's, she has spoken vastly on Maori traditions in 74 nations. Adopted into a wealthy middle-class English family in the United Kingdom, she sees herself as a global citizen with diverse roots, Having achieved Egyptology and Mesoamerican Qualifications her focus is now on Global Mythologies and their insight into ancient civilizations.

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NORAH ROMNEY

Mayan ideas spread via broadcast and influenced divergent cultures and languages. It is possible to trace the influence of the Mayan civilization far beyond its confines (400 to 600 A.D.). One or two of these lesser civilizations may have existed contemporaneously with the great Mayan civilization, but most were at their best long after the great culture had declined. This chapter will emphasize the ties between these lesser civilizations and the Mayas and analyze their characteristics.

Toward Mexico and the Isthmus of Panama, we will proceed northwest. Along the Gulf of Mexico and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Mayas developed their arts of life in narrowing bands. In terms of importance, Comalcalco appears to be the most westerly Mayan city. A large ruin is also located near San Andres Tuxtla, and the Tuxtla Statuette is among the earliest dated Maya objects. Archaic and Maya figurines coexist in this coastal belt, where arid and humid conditions coexist. Mayan culture may have originated here. Little has been studied on the archaeology of this part of Mexico.

Although the earliest known rubber specimens were found at Chichen Itza's Sacred Cenote, the material's ceremonial and practical uses are primarily related to the Olmeca and Totonac cultures. In southern Vera Cruz and western Tabasco, where the Aztecs later called Nonoalco, the Olmeca may be found. Ancient Mexican traditions frequently mention this region as a symbol of Maya civilization. Incense, water-proofing, drumstick tips, etc., were all made from rubber. There was also a sacred game played with a large rubber ball, with goals set high in parallel walls of a specially constructed court, which could be compared to basketball.

Olmeca may have been a Mayan tribe, but they may also have spoken Mexican. The Olmeca ruled parts of the Mexican highlands before the Toltecs, according to Ixtlilxochitl's history. When the Toltec empire collapsed, they may have fled south, for we find a group of this name in Nicaragua at the time of the Conquest.

The writer discovered in 1927 that this population may have left ruins at Cerro de las Mesas, west of Alvarado Lagoon. Seventeen monuments can be found at the site, several dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. Dates on Zapotec monuments may be recorded by bars and dots in conjunction with day signs.

A study of the culture of the Zapotec Indians in the State of Oaxaca reveals that they owed many ideas to the Mayas. Monte Alban, the White Mountain, visible from the modern city of Oaxaca, may have been the ancient capital and is the most significant archaeological site in terms of size. As a result, Mitla seems to have replaced it before the Spaniards arrived.

Neither Zapotecan nor neighboring Mixtec traditions have come to us to help restore their history. There was time and opportunity for the art, hieroglyphic writing, and calendar system to develop exciting characteristics of their own despite being derived from the Mayas. A career of empire is impossible to determine from the record: the entire complex of the tribe's characteristic products occurs only on the site where the tribe is occupied. As an explanation, it is possible that the Toltecs conquered the Zapotecs in the twelfth century and that similar aspects of Zapotecan sculptural art are found in Toltec cities such as Xochicalco and Teotihuacan in central Mexico, as well as Pipil and Chorotegan sites in Guatemala and Salvador.

In stark contrast to Monte Alban, Mitla occupies a valley site while the former crown a mountain ridge. The assemblage of enormous pyramids and platforms at Monte Alban is the only intact part of the site. Despite Mitla's small pyramid, many low platform-based temples have been preserved well. There are monolithic monuments similar to Maya stelas at Monte Alban, which carry hieroglyphic inscriptions.

We also find pottery figurines and jade amulets that follow the models developed in ancient humid lowland cities. Instead, the architectural decoration at Mitla showcases the most exciting textile designs incorporated into cut stone mosaics. As a result, the Zapotec field is evidently rich in high culture.

Architectural decorations from ancient times can be found here and there. In Monte Alban, there are one or two narrow vaulted chambers within mounds, but on the tops of the banks, there are only simple rooms with flat roofs. Over doorways, similar to the Mayan mask panels, bold relief figures appear identical to those that adorned the fronts of cylindrical funeral urns (see frontispiece).

While the bar and dot numerals of the stela of Monte Alban and stone slabs from other sites resemble the Mayan hieroglyphs, the day and month signs are not linked to either system, though almost certainly dealing with the same type of calendar. A burial chamber at Cuilapa and a chamber at Xoxo contain lintels with hieroglyphs on their outer edges. The forms are clearly drawn and beautiful at the former site, while at the latter area, they are degenerate and possibly only ornamental.

Mayan art can be seen clearly in Zapotec funerary urns. Sculptured and molded pieces conceal cylindrical vessels behind elaborate figures. Some of these built-up figures depict human figures, while others depict grotesque divinities or human beings wearing deity masks. The head is usually out of proportion to the body regarding the purely human types. Standing with the hands folded over the breast, the pose