How to Tell the
Four Mesoamerican
Civilizations Apart
Maya
The Maya civilization dates as far back as 1500 BC, and reached its peak sometime between AD 250 and 900. The longest-lasting of the four civilizations, they are also the most famous: they built fantastic cities and pyramids throughout Mexico and Central America, sailed, and had many unique languages that over six million people still speak today. In fact, those people still live in the same area their ancestors did! The ancient Maya were expert sun watchers and perfected a special type of calendar. It had three parts, and one of the parts was based on the sun and had 365 days—just like our calendars!
Aztecs
The Aztecs (also called the Mexica) lived in Mexico from c. AD 1200 to 1521. They ruled a powerful empire and had only one language, Nahuatl. They used this language to name the Olmecs, Maya, and Incas. The people were such greatarchitects that they built their capital, Tenochtitlán, on an island in the middle of a lake they created, and they were such terrific farmers that they grew avocados and invented guacamole!
Olmecs
If someone wandered along the Gulf of
Mexico between 1200 and 500 BC, they would meet the Olmecs. One of the earliest
known civilizations in Central America,
the Olmecs influenced the civilizations that came after them and are famous for
being traders and artists—they carved
massive stone heads, some over 11 feet (3.3 meters) tall. But the Aztecs thought they were important for another reason: they
came up with the name “Olmec,” which translates to “the rubber people.” Why? The Olmecs probably invented a way to make rubber into a ball and used it to
develop early ball games!
Rubber was made using the milky sap of different plants found in Mexico. Besides being used for ball games, it was used in rituals and to cure illnesses.
Incas
The Incas lived during a similar time frame as the Aztecs, but there’s one easy way to tell them apart: the Incas lived in South America! They didn’t have a written language, like the Aztecs or Maya, but their empire was much bigger. Even with all that land to look after, they had time to build Machu Picchu, a famous city nestled so high in the mountains of Peru that there are clouds in the streets.