Monumental Architecture In Mesoamerica

The architecture of Mesoamerican civilization is one of the most particular ones, since it has its own
elements that are not repeated in any other culture around the world.

pyramids, temples, houses, and ceremonial buildings. It was the result of an intense cultural exchange
between the people that inhabited Mesoamerica.

the architectural features appreciated in their buildings were determined by mythological or religious
meanings, and their designs were aligned with astral events. In some cases, special luminous effects
were achieved and can still be appreciated in equinoxes, solstices, or other important dates.

Such works include public squares, waterways, large housing units, pyramids, temples, and palaces
throughout Mesoamerica. This was accomplished with abundant laborers and materials such as
limestone, adobe, wood, and vegetable mixtures that served as cementing.

Pyramid of the Sun

At a height of more than (63 meters) and a base more than (225 meters) long on each side, this pyramid
is one of the largest structures created in the pre-Columbian New World. It would have been completed
around 200 AD.

In 1971, an archaeological team discovered a tunnel underneath the pyramid, its entrance located near
the Avenue of the Dead. They dug out the fill in the tunnel finding that it terminated in a cloverleaf
shaped chamber which, sadly, had been looted in antiquity. The cave was likely used for rituals of some
kind.

Another discovery, announced late last year, was a small treasure trove of offerings that may date to
when construction of the pyramid began. Among the items found was a green serpentine mask that may
have been a portrait of an ancient individual.

A State Governmental Organization

One of the most distinctive features of Mesoamerica is the presence of a governmental organization like
the State. At the head of this political structure was a supreme ruler, which was called in many cases
“Chieftain” or “Warlord.”

The first form of government for Mesoamerica was found in the Olmec culture around 1200 BC. The
constitution of stable political organizations was a persistent topic for leaders of Mesoamerican
civilization to fulfill their political or religious agendas.

In this system, the ruler was considered a god or an emissary from heaven, and the people had to pay
tribute to him. The way to do this was by bringing him exotic gifts from distant lands, by giving him the
best crops of the harvest or human sacrifices in his honor.

Kʼinich Janaab Pakal I also known as Pacal, Pacal the Great, was ajaw of the Maya city-state of Palenque
in the Late Classic period of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology. He acceded to the throne in July
615 and ruled until his death. During a reign of 68 years the second longest in the history of the Americas
—Pakal was responsible for the construction or extension of some of Palenque's most notable surviving
inscriptions and monumental architecture

The Ancient Calendar

For Mesoamerican civilizations, time was a sacred element, a creation of the gods, who also provided
them with a calendar. This divine gift allowed the recording of significant moments in their history, their
daily life, ritual events, and the agricultural cycle to obtain good harvests.

The Mesoamerican calendar is the combination of 2 calendars, a 365-day cycle called in Nahuatl
Xiuhpohualli or count of the year. The other one is a 260-day cycle calendar called in Nahuatl
Tonalpohualli or count of the days.

The Xiuhpohualli was the calendar used by the common people, as it kept track of the solar year, and it
was related to the cycles of the Sun, the Moon, and maybe the planet Venus. The Tonalpohualli was a
“sacred” calendar, as it was used mostly by priests. It is theorized by many investigators that the Olmecs
were the creators of the 260-day calendar.

Mesoamerican civilizations had a vast knowledge in mathematics and astronomy, and they used this
knowledge to build observatories, in archaeological sites such as Monte Albán or Chichén Itzá. These
observatories were used to study the movement of the stars and the trajectory of the planets. With the
data obtained from these studies, they were able to do accurate calendar readings and record them in
stone, ceramics or cloth.

Trade Between Mesoamerican Civilizations

This activity could be considered as the most important for all the empires and city-states that resided in
Mesoamerica. With war, they managed to expand their territory to form bigger empires and were able
to obtain valuable resources. But trade activities contributed more in the long term and gave identity to
these cultures because all cities practiced commerce.

Mesoamerican civilizations had at their disposal a wide variety of products. These products were used by
citizens to trade in local markets, with neighboring towns or with other civilizations.

The market of Tlatelolco in Teotihuacan serves as a good example, as it was supposed to be very big and
full of merchandise. Hernan Cortés was so amazed by its diversity that he claimed that only a handful of
cities in Europe could rival it.
The cultures were enriched with constant trade, and an amalgam of knowledge and social customs was
created. This often gave rise to the cultural developments that we know today thanks to historians and
archaeologists who made the records of their findings.