Mesoamerican Myth and Culture

Catalog description

This class is designed to increase the students’ knowledge of myths, culture and world view of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican civilizations. The class will begin with the earliest society the Olmec and move on to Zapotec, Mixtec, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Aztec and Maya. Focus will be placed on the myths, culture and world view of Mesoamerican civilizations. In addition, the religion of these ancient civilizations will be examined and we will learn how cultural ideologies and world view played an important role in the formation of myths. We will also analyze how pre-Hispanic cities (now archaeological sites) were designed (layout, art, iconography) around the civilizations’ mythology, world view and religion. Lastly, we will discuss the effect that the arrival of Europeans had on pre-Hispanic peoples and determine the consequences the Spanish conquest had on the Indigenous peoples of the Americas with reference to both myth and religion from the 16th century to the present.