Anthropology Overview and Mesoamerican Cultures

Anthropology

• Anthropology is the study of humankind, specifically Homo sapiens.
• Four subfields exist:
  • Cultural Anthropology: Examines cultures and societies.
  • Archaeology: Studies past human behavior through material remains.
  • Linguistic Anthropology: Focuses on language, its structure, and evolution.
  • Physical Anthropology: Investigates biological evolution and human variation.

Chronological Markers in Human Development

• 6 million years ago (mya): Early hominins.
• 2 million years ago (mya): Early Homo species.
• 200,000 years ago (ya): Anatomically modern humans.
• 10,000 years ago (ya): Development of agriculture.
• 6,000 years ago (ya): Rise of cities and states.
• 1750 AD: Industrial Revolution.

Mesoamerican Cultures

• Mesoamerican Cultural Periods: Archaic, Preclassic (Early, Middle, Late), Classic (Early, Late), Terminal Classic, Postclassic (Early, Late), Spanish Invasion.

Maya Geography

• Mesoamerican Diversity:
  • Northern Lowlands: Tropical dry forests, limestone, and cenotes.
  • Southern Lowlands: Dense forests, consistent climate, and high biodiversity.
  • Highlands: Volcanic regions, mangroves, and mountainous terrains.

Major Maya Sites

• Cuello: Early settlement.
• Nakbe: Causeways (sacbes).
• Tikal: Monumental architecture, linked with Teotihuacan.
• Calakmul: Power base of the Kaan (Snake) dynasty.
• Caracol: Allied with Calakmul against Tikal.
• Dos Pilas: Conflicts and warfare.
• Palenque: Tomb of Pakal the Great.
• Yaxchilan: Rituals and carved lintels.
• Ceibal: Terminal Classic significance.
• Uxmal: Puuc architecture.
• Chichen Itza: Caracol, Temple of the Warriors, Great Ballcourt.
• Mayapan: League of Mayapan hub.
• Tulum: Coastal trade center.

Structures & Architecture

• Teotihuacan: Pyramids of the Sun, Moon, and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
• El Mirador: Danta Pyramid.
• Palenque: Temple of the Inscriptions.
• Chichen Itza: El Castillo, Tzompantli.

Maya Political Organization

• Centralized State Characteristics: Bureaucracy, tribute systems, and military.
• Hierarchy: Ahau (king), Sajal (subordinate ruler), Yajaw (secondary leader).
• Models of Political Development: Hydraulic Hypothesis, Systems Theory, and Dual Processual Model (corporate vs. network strategies).

Maya Religion & Cosmology

• Three Realms: Earth, Celestial, Xibalba (underworld).
• Xibalba: Paradisiacal and suffering realms.
• Key Deities: Itzamna (creator deity), Kinich Ahau (sun god), Chaac (rain deity), and Ix Chel (fertility and medicine).
• Paddler Gods: Guides of the Maize God.
• Rituals: Bloodletting, deity impersonation, use of hallucinogens, and ceremonies marking K'atun endings.

Maya Agriculture & Economy

• Techniques: Slash-and-burn and chinampas.
• Staple Crops: Maize, beans, and squash (Three Sisters).

Warfare and Collapse Theories

• Warfare: Ritualized combat; conquest warfare; Kaan dynasty's "Snake Glyph" for dominance.
• Collapse Theories: Environmental degradation, endemic warfare, drought; evidence from skeletal malnutrition and climatic records
• Maize Domestication: ~9,000 years ago.

Astronomy, Calendar, and Writing

• Calendars: Haab (365-day solar), Tzolkin (260-day ritual), Calendar Round (52-year cycles), and Long Count (linear historical tracking).
• Astronomical Observations: Movements of Venus, eclipses.
• Writing: Logographic and phonetic symbols; surviving codices (Dresden, Madrid, Paris, Grolier).

Colonial & Modern Contexts

• Spanish Conquest: Goals included resources, conversion, and domination through alliances, diseases, and advanced weaponry.
• Guatemalan Civil War: Social inequality, Cold War dynamics, massacres, and displacement.
• Modern Advocates: Rigoberta Menchú and indigenous rights.
• Key Historical Figures: Maya Pakal the Great (Palenque), Jasaw Chan K'awiil (Tikal), Spanish colonizers Hernan Cortes, Diego de Landa, and scholars Yuri Knorosov and Tatiana Proskouriakoff.