Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
The modern country of Mexico has a deeply rich and diverse history. Home to some of the largest civilizations in the world, Mexico is home to thousands of years of history and culture. The first civilization, the Olmecs, lived in Mexico from 1200 BCE to 600 BCE. The Zapotecs ruled the area around Oaxaca in southern Mexico from around 500 BCE to around 900 CE. Around the year 200 BCE, an unknown group of people built a massive city called Teotihuacan, near modern-day Mexico City. This city was one of the ancient world’s largest cities, with around 200,000 people living within its borders. While no writing system has been discovered at this site and the cultural beginnings are unknown, this city and its massive pyramids still stand today. The Mayan civilization flourished between 250 and 900 CE, though the earliest Mayan settlements date all the way back to 1800 CE. While Mayan settlements can be found in several countries in Central America, some of their most famous sites are in Mexico, like Chichen Itza, which was added to the New Seven Wonders of the World list in 2007. The Toltecs settled in central Mexico around the 10th century CE. While this civilization’s power only lasted about 200 years, their influence was extensive. The Aztecs, the last of the pre-Columbian native civilizations in Mexico, claimed that they were descendants of the Toltecs and placed great honor on the remains of their civilization. The Aztec civilization was established in 1325 but rose to prominence in 1427, when the Aztecs partnered with other area tribes to conquer surrounding cultures, until their empire stretched across Mexico coast to coast and they were the dominant civilization in Mexico. At the height of their power, the Aztecs controlled over 5 million people. The Aztecs are famous for their capital city, Tenochtitlan, being built in the middle of a lake and for their practice of human sacrifice (though they were not the only civilization in Mexico to do this). The Aztec empire fell when Hernán Cortés brought a contingent of Spanish soldiers to the continent. Through massacre and disease, the Spanish killed almost 50% of the Aztec population and within two years, the Aztec empire fell. Cortés razed Tenochtitlan and built Mexico City on its ruins. Like Native American tribes in United States, many of these cultures, namely the Maya and Zapotec, still live in the modern world.