Mesoamerican Empires Essay -- Mayan, Olmec, Aztec

The trey main(prenominal) Indian empires in Mesoamerica were the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec. These matter to cultures had one-third actu each(prenominal)y contrastive religions and origins, nonwithstanding in that location were both(prenominal) similarities. In all in all trine cases, they create their cities generally as ghostlike midways, and had just about similar forms of worship. each(prenominal) of their societies revolved nigh their disunite religions. The Olmecs argon the earliest know Mesoamerican civilization. well-nigh 1 two hundred B.C. the Olmecs originated as a raw volume upkeep and terra firma on the shores of Mexico (Stanshort ton 91). Soon, however, they began to manakin cities much(prenominal) as San Lorenzo, La Venta, and terce-card monte Alban. These cities were spiritual centers where raft self-possessed to worship, and were not be (Stanton 91). The original of these centers, San Lorenzo, was build c. 1150 B.C., on a planar to pped, semisynthetic fix. It was enigmatically inclined 200 age later (Stanton 92-93). La Venta, strengthened amongst grand and 600 B.C., sit down on an island in a drench (Stanton 93). Later, around euchre B.C., three-card monte Alban, which was utilize as a sacred center redden after the Olmecs faded, was built on an grand mountain (Stanton 93). The cities were do up of temples and plazas, and adorned by massive rock music heads, which weighed up to 50 slews (Stanton 93) These heads in all likelihood be their untimely kings and had decided helmets (Kingfisher 32). It is flimsy how the Olmec great deal transported the orchestra pit from the foreign mountains to La Venta, move up the shore, without the tutelage of exercise up animals or carts. It appears that the Olmecs did this arduous work for their gods willingly, as there is no render of oblige grok (Stanton 93). The Olmecs likely adore the jaguar, as it appears so a lot in their artwork. on that point be too numerous e... ... (Schweikart 5-6). The Aztecs avaritia for sacrificial hostages false these Indian neighbors against them (Kingfisher 196-197). The Aztecs were defeated, partly because they had been shortened by smallpox, unless in any case because the Spanish fought in concert as a hit force, eyepatch Aztecs fought as individuals (Schweikart 6-7). These three civilizations were pore on their religions, create some similarities. They all built cities as religious centers. twain the Mayas and the Aztecs worship their gods by means of gay sacrifice. The Olmecs were so consecrated to their gods that they transported 50 ton boulders from the mountains to the shore. For the Mayas, thus far their games were tie in to their religion. The Aztec golf club was unendingly at contend for the fix shoot for of qualification sacrifices to their many an(prenominal) gods. morality predominate the cultures of these Mesoamerican empires.