Facts About Ancient Mexico

Pyramid in Teotihuacán

Established more than two centuries before the Common Era, Teotihuacán dominated ancient Mesoamerica culturally, economically and politically. With a population of 100,000 or greater at its zenith, the metropolis was one of the biggest cities of the ancient world.

Teotihuacán wasn't the only Mesoamerican civilization; the Maya created a vast society in ancient Mexico that reached its peak almost a millennium ago and continued to thrive until the arrival of the Spanish. In contrast to the base 10 mathematics most familiar today, the Maya developed a unique number system in base 20; their Long Count calendar and record of astronomical predictions confirm how developed their mathematical thought was.

When the Spanish conquistadors explored Mexico, they found the Aztec people locked into a highly developed yet oftentimes brutal society. To pay tribute to their gods and stave off times of doom, human sacrifice was an accepted and even venerated element of the ancient Aztec civilization. In ancient Teotihuacán, sacrificial victims sometimes had their still-beating hearts torn out and their bodies torn to shreds.

Over a dozen mammoth stone heads have been unearthed in ancient Mexico; they were carved by the ancient Olmec people more than two thousand years ago, and controversy about their cultural purpose continues today. Most of the heads were carved and later discovered in the San Lorenzo archeological region, located in the modern Mexican state of Veracruz.

The Popul Vuh is an ancient Mayan religious text that described the creation of the earth and the various Mesoamerican gods. The original document was lost, but through the work of early European explorers, copies were made that exist today. By blending religious and historical tradition, the Popul Vuh established the divine right to rule, which was a cornerstone of the ancient Mayan civilization.