Archaeology of Ancient Mesoamerica
This course covered pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican Indigenous cultures and societies. We learned about Mesoamerican politics, religious beliefs and geography, ending with their decline. Some of the peoples discussed were the Olmecs, Zapotecs and Toltecs. Assessments included class discussion sheets, a map assignment, an Aztec language assignment, an essay meeting, a final essay, and an oral presentation accompanied by a writeup.
As I mentioned in Philosophy of Death, I have an interest in the morbid. I have always found the Aztec empire to be fascinating and wanted to understand their geopolitics better. This course was the perfect opportunity to do a deep-dive into the Aztec politic, religion and customs. For my final paper, I researched how the trifecta was formed to be the ultimate weapon to rule and expand the Aztec empire.
After what I learned in Farms to Empires about the beginnings of complex societies, I wanted to learn more about ancient Mesoamerica. Although there were less than ten of us enrolled by the end of September, Dr. Haines was enthusiastic about the coursework every lecture. She has a good stage presence and provides students with tons of information during her lectures. It’s obvious she cares about student success and tries her best to help where she can. At the end of the semester she brought in some prickly pear fruit and made mole with chicken for the class. Both were delicious!
Codex Borbonicus
Photo by Zoltan Bagosi on Alamy Stock Photo