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The pre-Columbian history of Mexico is known through the work of archaeologists and epigraphers, and through the accounts of the conquistadors, clergymen, and indigenous chroniclers of the immediate post-conquest period. Between 1800 and 300 BC, complex cultures began to form. Many matured into advanced pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations such as the: Olmec, Izapa, Teotihuacan, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Huastec, Tarascan, "Toltec" and Mexica (Aztecs), which flourished for nearly 4,000 years before first contact with Europeans.
These civilizations are credited with many inventions and advancements in many subjects including pyramid-temples, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, theology, and the wheel.
At different points in time, three Mexican cities; Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan, and Cholul, and several others blossomed as centers of commerce, ideas, ceremonies, and theology. In turn, they radiated influence outward into neighboring cultures in central Mexico.
Mexican People Photo Gallery>>
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