He postclassical period It is the last phase of history in America before Columbus, between the year 900 after Christ and 1521 after Christ. This period was notable because of the decline of large civilizations that lived in Mesoamerica in a huge military deployment, populations of many people and economic problems.
The main cultures that characterized the postclassical period were the Inca, Mayan and Aztec empires. Their history was interpreted based on archaeological evidence and the chronicles written by the Spanish who plundered the American lands and murdered the people.
The concept of Mesoamerica originates from the Greek language, it means Middle America and refers to the territories of Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The postclassical period in Mesoamerica meant the end of the Middle Ages, that is, from 400 AD to 1492 AD, beginning the Modern Age with the European invasions of America.
Characteristics of the Postclassic Period
Major Civilizations
As mentioned above, the main civilizations in the postclassical period were as follows:
Aztecs: It is understood that it was a military state led by a rigorous semi-divine ruler, along with priests and other soldiers. The society was made up of merchants, artisans, slaves and peasants. The Aztecs were the ones who created and developed an educational system that until now was unprecedented, thanks to advances in mathematics and writing.
Mayans: They constituted one of the most advanced civilizations in pre-Columbian Mexico, they had a sophisticated and complex culture. Its social organization was divided into different independent cities which were dominated by an elite of priests and soldiers. The Mayans developed a numerical system and had the ability to perform highly complex astronomical calculations.
Incas: They created the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, their government was theocratic or monarchical and was headed by “the Inca”, along with armed forces and priests. They had an organized and exemplary administration with enormous control of tax records, population and resources. Inca society was made up of artisan peasants and slaves.
The pre-Columbian cultures that characterized the post-classical period came to have sophisticated knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, writing, agricultural techniques and working with metals, mainly silver, gold and copper. They also developed very precise calendars and built giant urban architectural centers, such as Tenochtitlán, which is currently located in Mexico City.
Economy
The economy in the postclassical period was based on agriculture, this being the main livelihood and also an activity marked by the influence of religious beliefs. The inhabitants in this period had the belief that the productivity of crops and the fertility of the land was intrinsically related to the influence of the gods.
Sophisticated hydraulic systems were developed for irrigation, such as that of the city of Tenochtitlan, in the Mexican country. This was an island that was surrounded by crops and canal systems. Each of these advances in agriculture made it possible to obtain greater production that allowed the development of trade with nearby populations.
Spanish Invasion
Europe’s invasion of America began when the Spanish arrived in 1492 and found a continent full of different civilizations; The most important were the Incas, the Mayans and the Aztecs. The Spanish deposited the first colony in Europe on the island where the Dominican Republic and Haiti are currently located.
The end of the Middle Ages arrived and after 1500 the Modern Age began as a consequence of Europe’s invasion of America. Between the years 1519 and 1521, the Europeans returned to the American continent with the aim of subduing the civilizations of Mesoamerica and made significant conquests of the civilizations that were in Mexican territory through economic exploitation, force, and Christianization. of the aborigines and the usurpation of resources. And they ended up murdering the Mesoamerican cultures.