Ancient Mexico

Catalog description

We will explore the archaeology the Aztecs, Zapotecs, and the Maya of Mexico and Central America from 3000BC up to and including the Spanish invasion of 1519-1521. We will examine how the legacies of these great civilizations were erased from written sources and how Mesoamerican heritage can be preserved and reclaimed for descendant communities and the public using archaeological remains. We will address: (1). the origins of agriculture and traditional food systems in Mesoamerica; (2). the rise of cities and urban centers; (3). writing, religion, social inequality, and the circulation of commodities; (4). Political disintegration, fragmentation, and collapse; (5). the formation and expansion of the Aztec and Tarascan empires; and (6). the consequences of the Spanish invasion and colonialism.