Mayan Corn God – Central American religion
Maya pyramid to the Corn God at Tonina (ca. 700 AD) Because corn (maize) was Mayan people's main food, their most important god was the Corn God. A popular Mayan story was [...]
Aztec gods and rituals – Central American religion
The Aztec god of seeds, Xipe Totec (ca 1500 AD) Who were the Aztec gods? Aztec people were polytheistic - they had many gods. That's the same as like the people of China, India, or Africa at [...]
Maya writing – Ancient Central America
Maya writing on a page from the Madrid Codex Did the Maya invent writing themselves? It's possible that the Maya learned how to write from the Olmec, but there aren't any [...]
Maize Mountain – A Mayan story about corn
A bolt of lightning in the sky, like the one that split open Maize Mountain Where did this story come from? Maya people liked to tell a story about how people [...]
Aztec language, writing, and literature
An Aztec book, or codex (ca 1500 AD) Aztec writing and the Maya The Aztec system of writing was very much like the Maya system. Probably the Aztec people learned how to write [...]
Who were the Zapotec? Central American history
A Zapotec head The Zapotec civilization, like the Maya, grew up in the region that had been ruled by the Olmec, after the collapse of Olmec power about 500 BC. The main city [...]
Who were the Valdivia people? South American history
Valdivian carving, ca. 3500-2000 BC The first people in Ecuador People probably first reached Ecuador by boat, about 13,000 BC. They were coming down the Pacific Coast from North America. These people settled [...]
Who were the Olmec? Central American history
Olmec clay statue ca. 1100-500 BC - Olmec history Why are the Olmec important? The earliest state government in North or South America was the Olmec. They formed their state about 1200 BC. [...]
Norte Chico history – South America
Norte Chico building: Stepped platform at Caral (ca. 2200 BC) When did people first reach Peru? People probably first arrived in Peru about 13,000 BC. They were following the Pacific coast south [...]
Who were the Nazca? South American history
Nazca lines - a giant monkey drawn on the desert floor Nazca replace the Chavin After the Chavin state collapsed about 250 BC, two new states formed in Peru - the Moche in the [...]
