Differences Among Mesoamerica South America and North American Art

The routes of the four Voyages of Christopher Columbus, 1492-1504 to the Caribbean area Islands and the declension of Cardinal America (image: CC BY-SA 3.0)

What does "pre-Columbian" mean?

The original inhabitants of the Americas traveled across what is now known as the Bering Strait, a passage that connected the westernmost point of North America with the easternmost point of Asia. The Western hemisphere was disconnected from Asia at the end of the last Ice Age, around ten,000 B.C.Due east.

In 1492, the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus arrived at the islands of Republic of cuba and Hispaniola (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic), mistakenly thinking he had reached Asia. Columbus' miscalculation marked the beginning step in the colonization of the Americas, or what was then seen as a "New World." Incorrectly referring to the native inhabitants of Hispaniola as "Indians" (nether the supposition that he had landed in India), Columbus established the get-go Castilian colony of the Americas. "Pre-Columbian" thus refers to the menstruum in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus.

Pyramid of the Sun, Teōtīhuacān. Teōtīhuacān reached its acme from the 1st to the mid-6th century C.Due east. The main structures include the Pyramids of the Sunday and the Moon, Artery of the Dead, and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (feathered ophidian). Teotihuacan was habitation to as many as 125,000 people. The proper noun Teōtīhuacān was given by the Aztecs long after the city had been abandoned in c. 550 C.E. The original name is lost.

The Castilian conquistadores (conquerors) found that the "New World" was in fact non new at all, and that the ethnic people of Mesoamerica had established advanced civilizations with densely populated cities and towering architectural monuments such equally at Teōtīhuacān, besides as advanced writing systems.

The term pre-Columbian is complicated yet. For one thing, although it refers to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the phrase does not directly reference any of the many sophisticated cultures that flourished in the Americas (think of the Aztec, Inka, or Maya, to name only a few) and instead invokes a European explorer. For this reason and considering indigenous peoples flourished earlier and after the inflow of the Europeans, the term is often seen every bit flawed. Other terms such as pre-Hispanic, pre-Cortesian, or more than simply, aboriginal Americas, are sometimes used.

Cylindrical vessel with ball game scene, c. 682-701 C.E., Late Classic, Maya, ceramic, xx.48 cm loftier (Dallas Museum of Art) (zoomable epitome here)

What does "Mesoamerica" mean?

The region of Mesoamerica—which today includes central and south United mexican states, Belize, Republic of guatemala, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador—consists of a diverse geographic landscape of highlands, jungles, valleys, and coastlines. Mesoamericans did not exploit technological innovations such every bit the wheel—though they were used in toys— and did not develop metal tools or metalworking techniques until at to the lowest degree until 900 C.E. Instead, Mesoamerican artists are known for producing megalithic (large stone) sculpture and extremely sharp weapons from obsidian (volcanic glass). Featherwork and stonework in basalt, turquoise, and jade dominated Mesoamerican artistic production, while exceptional textiles and metallurgy flourished further south, among pre-Columbian Andean and Central American cultures, respectively.

Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures shared certain characteristics such as the ritual ballgame,* pyramid edifice, homo sacrifice, maize as an agricultural staple, and deities defended to natural forces (i.eastward. pelting, storm, fire). Additionally, some Mesoamerican societies developed sophisticated systems of writing, too equally an advanced understanding of astronomy (which allowed for the development of authentic and circuitous calendar systems, including the 260-day sacred calendar and the 365-day agronomical calendar). As a effect, cities similar La Venta and Chichen Itza were aligned in relation to cardinal directions and had a sacred heart. The fact that many of these cultural trademarks persisted for more than two,000 years beyond civilizations as distinct as the Olmec (c. 1200–400 B.C.East.) and the Aztec (c. 1345 to 1521 C.E.), demonstrates the strong cultural bond of Mesoamerican cultures.

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El Tajín Ball Court, c. 800 – 1200 C.E., Classic Veracruz Civilization (photo: Oscar Zorrilla Alonso, CC Past-SA two.0)

*The abortion was played in unlike iterations at dissimilar times and in unlike places. It was played with a prophylactic ball that players hit with their elbows, hips, or knees. The ballgame was considered an important ritual in Mesoamerica and was practiced first past the Olmec and last past the Aztec. Since the rubber ball was solid and heavy, players wore protective gear to avoid injury and may have tried to score the ball through a ring, which was usually located loftier on the wall of the ballcourt. Numerous rubber assurance and ballcourts accept been discovered throughout Mesoamerica in El Tajín (image above) and Monte Albán, although the largest surviving ballcourt is located in Chichen Itza. While the ballgame was played by the elite, it was believed that the fate of the game and thus of the player was determined by the gods. As a consequence, the Mesoamerican abortion held significant implications. Acquire more about the ballgame here.

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Google Street View of the Pyramid known as the Castillo, Chichen Itzá, Maya, Mexico, c. 800-900 C.E.

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Source: https://smarthistory.org/pre-columbian-mesoamerica/

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