Pre-Teotihuacan Valley of Mexico civilizations and city's founding around 100 BCE

Pyramid complex1500 - 500 BC
The Real Origins of Teotihuacan?
Source: The Real Origins of Teotihuacan? by Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

Mexico's Archaic period began ~8000 BCE with hunting and gathering. Ceramics appeared ~1800 BCE. Four cultural hotspots emerged: Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Valley of Mexico. Tlatilco led the Valley, trading with Olmecs. Cuicuilco reached 20,000 by 200 BCE. Around 100 BCE, Teotihuacan Valley villages merged.

Key facts

  • The Archaic period in Mexico begins around 8000 BCE with hunting and gathering, followed by the adoption of agriculture (corn, beans, squash).
  • Ceramics begin in Mexico around 1800 BCE, coinciding with permanent settlements.
  • Four major hotspots of growth emerged: Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, and Valley of Mexico regions, with urban centers starting around 1200 BCE.
  • Tlatilco civilization, known from type sites Tlatilco and Tlapacoya, was the first to develop in the Valley of Mexico and traded with the Olmecs.
  • Cuicuilco, built on the southern shore of Lake Texcoco starting around 800 BCE, grew to a population of 20,000 by 200 BCE.
  • Teotihuacan began around 100 BCE as a small cluster of villages in the Teotihuacan Valley that coalesced into one community.

Site mentioned

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Sources

Mesoamerica Archaic and Preclassic Periodsearlyworldhistory.blogspot.com
The Archaic Period (8000–2000 b.c.e.) in this vast and variegated region was characterized by the first emergence of settled communities and agriculture.
Archaic Indians | Anthropology | Research Startersebsco.com
By 8000 b.c.e., the western United States and northern Mexico were undergoing searing heat and drought. Lakes evaporated, forests receded, grasslands withered,
Archaic Period: (8000 to 1800 years before present) - Yellowstone ...nps.gov
The Archaic Period is quite lengthy (6,500 years) and is broken into three divisions referred to as the Early, Middle, and Late Archaic Periods.
Mesoamerica's Archaic Period | Springer Nature Linklink.springer.com
archaic foraging and early agriculture in Oaxaca Mexico: archaeological shells to detect seasonal use of wetlands on the southern Pacific Coast of Mexico.
Archaic Periodstorymaps.arcgis.com
The Archaic Period encompasses 8,000 years and was very dynamic. The climate continued to change. Plant and animal species that dominated some areas gave ...
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