5.1 Mesoamerica

Great cities

Mesoamerican peoples built monumental cities. Teotihuacan had huge pyramids; the Aztec (Mexica) capital Tenochtitlan centered on the Templo Mayor, a great twin pyramid to their gods.

The Maya

The Maya built stepped pyramids and carved detailed stelae and lintels (e.g., Yaxchilán), recording rulers and rituals — including bloodletting — in sophisticated relief and glyph writing.

Materials & meaning

Works in stone, jade, and feather served religion and kingship. Calendars and cosmology shaped art; much was tied to ritual, sacrifice, and the sacred order of the universe.

Key terms

Tenochtitlan

Aztec (Mexica) capital, center of an empire

Templo Mayor

great twin-temple pyramid of the Aztecs

Maya stelae

carved stone monuments recording rulers

Yaxchilán

Maya site; lintels show bloodletting rituals

Materials

stone, jade, feathers for religion and kingship

Try an AP-style question

Olmec colossal heads are thought to represent…

1. anonymous farmers
2. animal spirits
3. rulers
4. gods of rain