Week Two
Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, and the Classic-era Maya
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I. The 'Classic' period

A. Oaxaca

- Monte Albán, 500 B.C.E. - 800 C.E.

B. Maya, 200 - 900 C.E.

- Tikal, Quiriguá, etc. (Guatemalan lowlands)
- Palenque (Chiapas, Lacandón rainforest)
- Copán (Honduras highlands)

C. Central Mexico, 150 B.C.E. - 700 C.E.

- Teotihuacan

Feathered Serpent (Quetzalcoatl)

- Cholula

II. Mesoamerican writing

Mesoamerica is one of only five cultures in the world to have developed writing independently.
The others are Sumerians (Iraq), Chinese, Harappans (Pakistan) and Egyptians.

A. Glyphs: Pictographic, logographic, phonetic symbols

- Maya glyphs record words and grammar/syntax

- Mixtec, Zapotec, Nahua writing uses all three types of symbols but does not record grammar/syntax

B. Stelae
C. Precolumbian and colonial-era codices, lienzos, tiras, etc.
D. Colonial-era alphabetic manuscripts