Mesoamerica

ancient civilizations · archaeology · Central America

Huge organized empires. Mesoamerica was home to powerful civilizations like the Aztec and Maya who built massive cities with pyramids, temples, and complex governments that lasted for hundreds of years.

Shared cultural ideas. Even though different groups lived across the region, they shared similar beliefs, farming methods, and ways of writing that connected them together as one cultural area.

Stretches across regions. Mesoamerica covers the lands where modern day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica exist today.

Invented maize farming. The indigenous people of Mesoamerica were among the first in the world to farm corn, beans, and squash, which became the foundation of their diet and civilization.

Developed writing systems. Mesoamerican cultures created their own writing using symbols and glyphs, which allowed them to record important information and stories that lasted thousands of years.