Why is Kaminaljuyu important in Mayan civilization?
Between 1000 B.C. and A.D. 200, Kaminaljuyu, or “place of the ancestors” in the Mayan K’iche’ language, enjoyed artistic, architectural, and sociopolitical advances, becoming one of the most important centers in southeastern Mesoamerica. Long abandoned, the site was rediscovered in the early twentieth century.
What is Kaminaljuyu Guatemala?
Kaminaljuyu (pronounced /kæminælˈhuːjuː/) is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization that was primarily occupied from 1500 BC to AD 1200. The known parts of Kaminaljuyu lie on a broad plain beneath roughly the western third of modern Guatemala City.
What is the name of the obsidian source controlled by Kaminaljuyu?
It is thought that during the Middle Pre Classic Kaminaljuyu achieved direct control over the site of Echayal, 12 miles/20 kms to the NE and one of the most important sources of obsidian in all of Mesoamerica.
What is known about Maya cities?
A Maya city from the Classic Period usually consisted of a series of stepped platforms topped by masonry structures, ranging from great temple-pyramids and palaces to individual house mounds. These structures were in turn arranged around broad plazas or courtyards.
What is Kaminaljuyü and how does it relate to Mayan history?
Kaminaljuyú, historic centre of the highland Maya, located near modern Guatemala City, Guat. The site was inhabited from the Formative Period (1500 bc–ad 100) until its decline after the Late Classic Period (c. About 200 burial sites from the Late Formative Period (300 bc–ad 100) have been uncovered. …
What did the Aztecs call obsidian?
itztli
Obsidian, called itztli in the Nahuatl language, has been found at nearly every Mesoamerican archaeological site. Items made from this material had both utilitarian and ritual use.
What is the Mayan metropolis?
Chichen Itza was a Mayan city on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. New discoveries are still being unearthed in the area, providing even more insight into the culture and accomplishments of the Mayan people, who ruled much of present-day Mexico and Central America prior to the arrival of European colonists.
What is the metropolis of Maya Classic?
Teotihuacan
Classic Period During the Early Classic (AD 250-300), cities throughout the Maya region were influenced by the great metropolis of Teotihuacan in the distant Valley of Mexico. At its height during the Late Classic, Tikal had expanded to have a population of well over 100,000.
Who did the Aztecs fight?
Spanish conquistadores commanded by Hernán Cortés allied with local tribes to conquer the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán. Cortés’s army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to conquer the city.