ipl-logo

Mesoamerican Influence On Mexican Culture

912 Words4 Pages

Mexico is widely known for its rich culture that is complimented by traditional food recipes, music, and art; other things that may come to mind are the popular Mesoamerican civilizations, its beautiful coastal beaches, or even the eagle symbol on the Mexican flag. Nevertheless, something that most definitely does not come to mind is the African descendants and their influences on Mexico’s culture and history. Mexico’s well remembered Mesoamerican civilizations are the Aztecs and Mayans. The Olmecs, the first major Mesoamerican civilization tends to be overshadowed or forgotten. According to Angel Vigil, the Olmecs civilization began around 1500 B.C. and was centered along the gulf coast of Mexico, near present day Veracruz. This first civilization served as a mother culture for future civilizations; thanks to the Olmecs, the birth of pyramids, number systems, picture writings, ceremonial traditions, and a Mesoamerican calendar emerged (Vigil xxi). There is something even more astonishing about the Olmecs that some people may find it hard to believe. …show more content…

For the most part all the groups were able to live in harmony among each other. Gates visited Mexico to investigate the history of its diverse population. By the end of the seventeenth century, international relationships escalated and the Catholic Church allowed marriage between all groups. The eighteen century Casta paintings demonstrated the normality of the international relationships. The paintings include sixteen images, each image has two biological parents and their offspring. The illustrations portray different couples of variety skin tones and their offspring’s possible skin color (Black in Latin America). The paintings in other words demonstrate how a persons genes influences the appearance of their children; hinting to an early scientific Punnett square mentality and an official attempt to whitening

Show More
Related

  • Ap World History Dbq Mayans

    538 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over a thousand years ago in the Mesoamerica region the culture that we know as Maya thrived. They had an amazement and intrigued fascination over the technical mastery of their intellectual studies. The Mayan’s history is rich with remarkable human achievements, as well as stories. Some of their most recognizable masterpieces are the Mayan trade network, building Cities, the Mayan number system, and the Mayan calendar.

    Read More

  • How Did The Olmec Influence The Latin American Civilization

    598 Words  | 3 Pages

    These ancient civilians lived in a swampy, hot and humid area of Mexico that overflowed with hill ridges as well as the occasional volcano. While some details about the Olmec people are still unknown, there are many facts that researchers have discovered about the group. Many artifacts from places such as San Lorenzo and La Venta, the two major cities that were a part of the Latin American civilization, have helped develop the information we know about the Olmecs. “These cities were like small villages, not to big, they were around the size of a small town, and they had small homes with an abundance of temples in what would seem to be something like a town square. At the temples

    Read More

  • Ap World History Dbq Analysis

    527 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 5th document tells us that they had a irrigation system in there city-state so that they could supply everyone with water and help farmed grow crops. In the 7th document gives us a picture of how the planted and grew there crops with simple tools like a shovel and hands. This may be simple to use but it could have been very advance for what they had. The 1st document tells us a little plant that they grew and it explains to use that this was very use full to the Spanish men. If this was useful to the Spanish who had a lot of tools then think how useful that plant was to the Mesoamerican people.

    Read More

  • How Did The Aztecs Characterize Agriculture

    509 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican Civilization that lived in what is now Mexico from the 14th century to the 16th century. They were known for their advanced agricultural practices , which allowed them to sustain a large population in a relatively small environment . This essay will explore Aztecs’ agricultural practices, including their use of chinampas, or floating gardens, and their complex systems of canals and irrigation. The Aztecs should be remembered for their agricultural practices which were incredibly advanced for their time because they developed sophisticated systems of irrigation and crop cultivation that allowed them to support a large population in a region that was not always in the right conditions for agriculture. They built chinampas, which were like floating gardens, artificial islands built on a freshwater lake for agriculture.

    Read More

  • Papers On Barbara Carreco

    1040 Words  | 5 Pages

    Barbara Carrasco works in advocating to change treatment of women. I decided to do my research paper because I believe that there's a difference between how a Chicano depicts and paint

    Read More

  • Aztec Dbq Essay

    889 Words  | 4 Pages

    While many may be aware of the Aztec civilization, their accomplishments can often be overshadowed by the time period when they were conquered by Spanish explorers, such as Hernan Cortez. However, the Aztecs were a prospering society before their downfall to the Spaniards. The Aztec’s demise is not the only characteristic to remember about one of the most commonly recognized civilizations of the fifteen hundreds. As an ancient Mesoamerican civilization displaced by powerful explorers, the Aztecs can still be seen as an organized society driven by their spirituality and traditions. The Aztecs used an organized system of chinampas and documents surveying what conquered peoples owed them, ensuring that they would be productive on a daily basis.

    Read More

  • Aztec Empire Turning Points

    1036 Words  | 5 Pages

    One of the greatest and most advanced early civilizations is argued to be the Aztecs. From the 12th century to the 15th, the Aztecs had many achievements that are still very significant in today’s society. The Aztec empire was truly a spectacular civilization that to this day is still not completely understood. The people who became part of the great empire were originally nomads whose main focus was to hunt and gather. As their civilization began to expand they had to adapt to an agricultural lifestyle.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Mexican American Culture

    899 Words  | 4 Pages

    Up until the 1960s Anglo social scientists wrote most of the literature about the people of Mexican- descent in the United States. Their analysis of Mexican American culture and history reflected the hegemonic beliefs, values, and perceptions of their society. As outsiders, Anglo scholars were led by their own biases and viewed Mexicans as inferior, savage, unworthy and different. Because Mexican scholars had not yet begun to write about their own experiences, these stereotypes were legitimized and reproduced in the literature. However, during the mid- 1960s scholars such as Octavio Ignacio Romano, Nick Vaca, Francisco Armando Rios, and Ralph Ricatelli began to reevaluate the literature written by their predecessors.

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On Mayan Civilization

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    Finally, Math's and science are also one of the achievements the Maya's accomplished. The importance of science and calendar calculations in Mayan society required mathematics and the Maya constructed quite early a very advanced number system. The Maya produced a vast array of structures, and have left an extensive architectural legacy. " Based on its architectural remains, Maya civilization ranks as in of the great preindustrial cultures of the world. "(Document

    Read More

  • Aztec Dbq Essay

    484 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Aztecs were one of the most famous and successful early civilizations of the Americas that we know of, who ruled an empire in the modern day country of Mexico from 1350 to 1519. From their capital city of Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City, to their daily routines, the Aztecs had many achievements that they deserve recognition for. Two very important components in the history of the Aztecs are agriculture and human sacrifice. Although they both play huge roles in Aztec culture, historians should emphasize on their methods of farming. The reasons why historians should center their focus on the Aztecs' agricultural techniques are they affected the growth of their empire, were used on a huge scale, and were very unique in comparison to other

    Read More

  • How Did The Mayans Influence The New World

    557 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ancient Mayans, who lived in parts of present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, created one of the most complex and advanced civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. The Mayans accomplished many remarkable and influential achievements, most notably, in art, astronomy, and engineering. The achievements of the Mayans influenced the cultures around them and are still influential today. The Mayans created amazingly sophisticated works of art.

    Read More

  • Casta Paintings During The Columbian Exchange

    559 Words  | 3 Pages

    The discovery of the Americas introduced a new culture to a world dominated by the European style of life. The perception of Native Americans in the Colombian era varied greatly between people such as those who crafted Casta paintings which were too often racist and depicted Natives as savages and uncivilized. There were also those such as John White who saw the beauty in the simplistic nature based lifestyle of the native people. The various images crafted during the Columbian Exchange represent a biased perception of different cultures around the world and often attacks the cultures that aren't their own. Casta is a hierarchical system of racial classes used by Spanish elites.

    Read More

  • Aztec Compare And Contrast Essay

    733 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first tribe we will talk about is the Mayan’s form of technology. The Mayan tribe had their own form of writing that was very different from what we have now. This form of writing then lead the Mayan to invent their own form of math which was also very different from the one we have now. The Aztec on the other hand was very different. The aztecs were very good at manipulating gold and jewels.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mexican American Culture

    798 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cultural influences people on how to communicate with one another and its methods of communication from one culture to another. Culture plays a significant role in intercultural communication. Cultural identity is an element in a person’s life when one understands their own culture, leading to an understanding and appreciation of other cultures as well. It promotes a vital part of communication between people who come from different cultures. This paper will examine my Mexican American cultural background and how it affects my way of communicating with others.

    Read More

  • Olmec Greek Influence

    135 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Olmec culture is best known as the “Mother Culture,” because during the formative period in Mesoamerica the region flourished. This is also known as the first culture to develop the

    Read More

More about Mesoamerican Influence On Mexican Culture

Open Document