Agriculture, trade, and power in the civilizations of ancient America

Between 250 and 900 AD, the increase in agricultural productivity in Mesoamerica led to the rise of the great cities of Teotihuacán and Monte Albán, which in turn influenced the eastern Maya city-states, ushering in an era of prosperity known as the Classic Maya period.

Meanwhile, in South America the mastery of irrigation techniques allowed a succession of empires to dominate the Andean region.

At the beginning of the Classic period, Teotihuacán and Monte Albán were the two major centers of trade in Mesoamerica. Teotihuacán traded with the early Maya cities of the Classic period that arose in the highlands; its influence also reached very distant regions. During the Classic period, Maya culture would reach its highest level of artistic and architectural development, spreading as far as present-day western Honduras.

These cultures built their cities around ceremonial areas, often with pyramidal temples where religious rites were performed, including human sacrifices. Recreational spaces and carved stelae were also created to glorify rulers.

PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA

The civilizations of Central and South America developed independently of those of Eurasia. While in Mesoamerica cultures based on intensive agriculture and large urban centers flourished, in the Andean area of South America civilizations emerged that gave rise to great empires.

ANDEAN COAST EMPIRES

Between 100 and 1000 AD a succession of cultures mastered irrigation techniques that formed the basis for the foundation of empires along the coast west of the Andes.