Mesoamerican

Mesoamerican is a term used in archaeology and anthropology to describe the cultural region that encompasses parts of present-day Mexico and Central America where several civilizations arose before European contact. Geographically, it extends from central Mexico through Guatemala and Belize to parts of Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. The designation highlights shared cultural traits rather than a single political entity.

Common features of Mesoamerican culture include intensive maize-based agriculture, the construction of large urban centers with complex social and political organization, and a rich religious life with ritual practices tied to calendars and astronomy. Many Mesoamerican cultures developed systems of writing or glyph-based record-keeping and created sophisticated calendrical schemes. The Maya are especially noted for their hieroglyphic script and long‑count calendar, while other regions developed their own symbolic repertoires and inscription traditions. The ballgame, ceremonial architecture such as pyramids and temples, and iconography also recur across the region.

Major civilizations traditionally associated with Mesoamerica include the Olmec, Teotihuacan, the Maya, the Zapotec, and the Aztec (Mexica). The Olmec, flourishing around 1500 BCE to 400 BCE, are often considered foundational for later cultures. Teotihuacan rose near modern Mexico City around the first millennium BCE to CE, the Classic Maya flourished from roughly CE 250–900, and the Aztec dominated central Mexico in the early postclassic period until the Spanish conquest in 1521.

Trade networks linked goods such as obsidian, jade, cacao, and salt across substantial distances, contributing to cultural exchange and political influence throughout the region.