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Classic Horizon
Between 200 and 750 A.D. the magnificent culture of Teotihuacán and of its twin city of Cholula (Puebla) developed. Their theocratic government and complicated social organization led them to dominate many peoples in Mesoamerica. A polytheistic religion based on the forces of nature acquired great importance: Tlaloc, god of rain; Huehuetéotl, god of fire; Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of the surface waters; Centéotl, god of corn and Quctzalcóatl, the Plumed Serpent. Great advances were made in architecture, sculpture and also in herbal medicine. Between 250 and 900 A.D. the Zapotecs settled and built the ceremonial center of Monte Albán in the Valley of Oaxaca.
Fall of the Classic Horizon; the Toltec Period Between 900 and 1250 A.D., when the Indian peoples
of the Nonoalcas, Nahuas, Otomis, Chichimecs and others merged, the
Toltec period began, as the cultures o According to the legend, it was in 1111 A.D. that the Mexica began their migration from the mythical Aztlán, possibly situated in the present state of Guanajuato. In 1156 Tula was destroyed by the Chichimecs. From 1180 to 1252 A.D. the Toltec-Chichimecs dominated the central plateau. The Culhuas founded Coatlinchán and the Tepanecas settled at Azcapotzalco. In 1204 rivalry among the members of the Mayapán League made up of three powerful families, the Itzás of Chichén Itzá, the Cocomes of Mayapán and the Xius of Uxmal, led to a fierce war that accelerated the decline of the Mayas. The Itzás abandoned Chichén and settled on lake Petén, Guatemala until they were conquered by the Spaniards in 1700. In 1325 the Mexica (Aztecs) founded the city of Tenochtitlán, though still ruled by the Tepanecas of Azcapotzalco. |
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on to: Post-Classic Horizon |
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From
100 B.C. to 850 A.D. the Classic cultures developed, characterized by
the flourishing of local cultures. This was when Mesoamerican
civilization was at its height.
From
200 to 750 A.D. was the great period of the Maya culture, the peak of
such centers as Tikal, Uaxactún and Quiriguá in Guatemala, Coupán in
Honduras, and Palenque, Bonampak and Yaxchilán in Mexico, among many
others. The Mayas gave a great impetus to science and mathematics,
created hieroglyphic writing and elaborate solar and ritual calendars.
They built magnificent ceremonial centers with temples and palaces and
also excelled in sculpture and painting.
f the Classic Horizon were by now
in decline. Centers sprang up such as Tula (State of Hidalgo),
Xochicalco (Morelos) and Cacaxtla (Tlaxcala) the El Teijín culture (Veracruz)
continued and Chichén Itzá (Yucatan) developed in all its splendor
when it came under Toltec influence. Monte Albán in Oaxaca was occupied
by the Mixtecs.
