mesoamerican

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Of or pertaining to Mesoamerica
a member of one of the varioous peoples inhabiting Mesoamerica of or relating to the people of Mesoamerica or their languages or cultures

Relevante Übersetzungen

Mesoamerican pyramid
One of a number of monumental structures built by Mesoamerican civilizations in the shape of a pyramid with a rectangular base
Mesoamerican pyramids
plural form of Mesoamerican pyramid
Mesoamerican civilization
Complex of aboriginal cultures that developed in parts of Mexico and Central America before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. This civilization and the Andean civilization in South America constituted a New World counterpart to those of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. Humans have been present in Mesoamerica from as early as 21,000 BC; a shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture, which began 7000 BC as the climate warmed with the end of the Ice Age, was completed by 1500 BC. The earliest great Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmec, dates to 1150 BC. The Middle Formative period (900-300 BC) was a time of increased cultural regionalism and the rise of the Zapotec people. Civilizations of the Late Formative and Classic periods (lasting until AD 900) include the Maya and the civilization centred at Teotihuacán; later societies include the Toltec and the Aztec. See also Chichén Itzá; Mixtec; Monte Albán; Nahua; Nahuatl language; Tenochtitlán; Tikal
Mesoamerican religions
Religions of the pre-Columbian cultures of Mexico and Central America, notably the Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec. All religions of Mesoamerica were polytheistic. The gods had to be constantly propitiated with offerings and sacrifices. The religions also shared a belief in a multilevel universe that had gone through five creations and four destructions by the time of the Spanish conquest. Mesoamerican religions heavily emphasized the astral bodies, particularly the sun, the moon, and Venus, and the observations of their movements by astronomer-priests were extraordinarily detailed and accurate. The Aztecs approached the supernatural through a complex calendar of ceremonies that included songs, dances, acts of self-mortification, and human sacrifices performed by a professional priesthood, in the belief that the welfare of the universe depended on offerings of blood and hearts as nourishment for the sun. The Mayan religion likewise called for human sacrifices, though on a smaller scale. Information on the astronomical calculations, divination, and ritual of the Mayan priests has been gathered from the Maya Codices. See also Mesoamerican civilization