Ap Ccot Mesoamerican Cultures

The earliest Mesoamerican state was formed by the Olmec, which created the foundation for the basic cosmology of the next Mesoamerican civilizations. Other than that they were also the first to organize elaborate public religious ceremonies or to create a solar calendar and even a network of trade routes. The Mayans had come up with many new advances to what the previous cultures did, bringing innovations in math and astronomy, such as the concept of zero and developing a calendar. Because they developed a writing system we now know that they had a pyramidal social structure similar to most agricultural societies, having warriors and priests at the top while the majority of the people, slaves and peasants, were at the bottom. As all of the Mesoamerican cultures the Mayans conducted warfare in order to acquire human labor and as they were highly religious, for sacrifices to please their many gods. Religion was dictating how peoples lives should be ran and they loved their gods; they built centers with great temples where they practiced human sacrifices using captives from warfare. Even though there are many similarities between the Mesoamerican cultures, the Mayans had something different from all of them and that was their acknowledging of women. There are two known female rulers therefore a matrilineal kind of organization occurred. Despite being so advanced for that period this civilization collapsed mysteriously for unknown reason around 900 B.C.E.. The next civilization to emerge after them were the Toltecs which borrowed and maintained the culture from the Teotihuacan. One of the notable differences between them and the Mayans is that their kings power were diminished, being divided between two kings simultaneously making them the first dual king civilization. Social structure, warfare habits together with religious beliefs and practices were passed down to the Aztecs which adapted it to their more developed society which was