Occupied America Chapter 1
Outline: Chapter 1
The logic of “Not just pyramids, Explorers, and Heroes.”
The main purpose of this chapter is to explain the evolution of the Mesoamerica civilizations through the Preclassical and Postclassical periods, explain the evolution and impact that agriculture had during the first stages of the civilization and how that fact was the main factor of the change from nomads to sedentary and also to describe the changes in the development of the classes and differences of gender and the creation of the “cities” and urban centers. Everything explained chronologically to a better understand of the topic, evaluating every aspect of the culture, as the author says “Time represents the knowledge a people have accumulate.”(2)
What the author was question I think in this chapter was the main characteristics of the most important or more highlighted cultures in Mesoamerica, talking also briefly about the similarities whit other civilizations around the world but putting more attention that what the “evolution” or progress of people in Mesoamerica means because he talks from the Olmecas to the Aztecs and some other cultures that were an important part of the history of those civilizations and the generation of a new urban population as stated “Food surpluses made possible “specialization of labor” and the development of complex social institutions such as organized religion and education.”(2)
I do believe that the most important information that we have to remember are not necessarily the exact time or the exact characteristics of each civilization but which one was first and which one appeared later chronologically, by an example knowing that the Olmeca’s are known as the mother culture because it is known as the oldest culture of all, and then the Mayas appeared with some similarities in their hieroglyphics and some traditions, or as how the religion and beliefs about Quetzalcoatl of the mother culture was expanded towards some other civilizations of Mesoamerica,
The logic of “Not just pyramids, Explorers, and Heroes.”
The main purpose of this chapter is to explain the evolution of the Mesoamerica civilizations through the Preclassical and Postclassical periods, explain the evolution and impact that agriculture had during the first stages of the civilization and how that fact was the main factor of the change from nomads to sedentary and also to describe the changes in the development of the classes and differences of gender and the creation of the “cities” and urban centers. Everything explained chronologically to a better understand of the topic, evaluating every aspect of the culture, as the author says “Time represents the knowledge a people have accumulate.”(2)
What the author was question I think in this chapter was the main characteristics of the most important or more highlighted cultures in Mesoamerica, talking also briefly about the similarities whit other civilizations around the world but putting more attention that what the “evolution” or progress of people in Mesoamerica means because he talks from the Olmecas to the Aztecs and some other cultures that were an important part of the history of those civilizations and the generation of a new urban population as stated “Food surpluses made possible “specialization of labor” and the development of complex social institutions such as organized religion and education.”(2)
I do believe that the most important information that we have to remember are not necessarily the exact time or the exact characteristics of each civilization but which one was first and which one appeared later chronologically, by an example knowing that the Olmeca’s are known as the mother culture because it is known as the oldest culture of all, and then the Mayas appeared with some similarities in their hieroglyphics and some traditions, or as how the religion and beliefs about Quetzalcoatl of the mother culture was expanded towards some other civilizations of Mesoamerica,