Taught In English

There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level.

This course covers a long period of time which begins when small groups of hunters and gatherers from the center and north of Asia arrive to the American continent, and finishes with the fall of Aztec Empire, conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1521. Students will increase their knowledge of the Ancient Civilizations of America as part of the history of mankind. This knowledge can be useful in the understanding of current sociocultural diversity.

Contents:

Unit I
Introduction: a short review of theories to explain the presence of man in the New World.

Unit II
Agriculture in mesoamerica: food production is considered as one of the most important steps in village life and the emergence of civilization.
a. Hunters and seed gatherers
b. Plant domestication
c. Agricultural techniques
d. The importance of maize
e. Agriculture and village life

Unit III
Mesoamerica: Mesoamerica is a high cultural area, which means civilizations and urban life. The archeologists consider the existence and series of cultural regions and cultural periods in the 3000 years of its evolution.
a. Definition
b. Ecologic diversity
c. Cultural areas
d. Periods and chronology

Unit IV
The Preclassic or Formative Period: is the first cultural period of Mesoamerica. We are going to deal particulary with the Olmec culture and its heritage in the Mesoamerican world.
a. Definition and characteristics
b. Chronology
c. Sites and cultures
d. The Olmecs
1. Sociopolitical organization
2. Economy
3. The Olmec culture
4. The Olmec influence in Mesoamerica

Unit V
The Classic Period: During this period we will see the emergence of great cities like Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, Palenque, Tikal, Tajín, and many others; it was the flourishment time of the cultural diversity of Mesoamerican peoples.
a. Definition and chronology
b. The Teotihiacan culture
c. The Mayan culture
d. The Zapotec culture
e. Cultures of Veracruz

Unit VI
The Post Classic Period: This was a period of political transformations. There was a clear presence of militaristic activities in the Toltec, Mixtec, and Aztec cultures. The destruction of the Aztec captitol, Tenochtitlan, was the decline of the mesoamerican civilization.
a. Characteristics
b. Sociopolitical organization
c. Economy
d. The Toltecs
e. The Mixtecs
f. The Totonacs
g. The Aztecs
h. The Spanish conquest and the end of the
prehispanic civilizations.