The first meeting with the Mexican capital - the third largest metropolis in the world of Mexico City - leaves a feeling of slight dizziness. It arises either from the height at which the city is located (2240 m above sea level), or from the colorful colors surrounding tourists. Thousands of honking cars, endless traffic jams - it is not clear how this crazy rhythm of modernity has not yet supplanted the patriarchal past of the capital. Aztec capital, and newly built administrative buildings
Zocalo Square is the heart of the metropolis. Here is the Government Palace - a majestic building, the walls of which are decorated with paintings by the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. A little further away is the Cathedral, created in the traditions of the national style. The main shrine of the temple is a black crucifix. There is a legend that one monk kissed the feet of Christ on this crucifix every day, and when a certain attacker decided to poison the minister and smeared the feet of Jesus with poison. Christ squeezed them, thus saving the monk's life. After that, the statue of Christ turned black, and it was considered miraculous.
You can get acquainted with the magical culture of the Aztecs in the archaeological zone of Teotiukan. This largest open-air museum, in the past a city that arose in the 2nd century BC, is located 60 km from Mexico City. According to legend, the gods performed a sacrifice here, throwing themselves into the fire and turned into heavenly saints. The name of the two the main temples of the city - the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, interconnected by the Road of the Dead. The architectural ensemble is complemented by the ancient palaces of the Aztecs. They are giant cone-shaped structures with numerous steps and a horizontal platform at the top. There is an opinion that they were sacrificial altars - traces of human sacrifices were allegedly found in the temples.
The Archaeological Museum of Palenque consists of two parts, separated by a stream. On one side, several platforms stand in a row with the Temple of the Skulls and the Temple of the Inscriptions. Between them is the tomb of the Red Parrot. The tomb is located inside the platform and consists of several chambers. A sarcophagus was found in one of them with the body of a woman sprinkled with red cinnabar. Another burial of Emperor Pacal the Great was found in the Temple of the Inscriptions. The second part of the archaeological zone lies behind the stream. It is an area formed by three pyramids with temples at the top (Sun, Cross, Deciduous Forest). Inside each of them there is a bas-relief depicting two people facing each other.
About a thousand years ago, this city was the main political cultural center Yucatan. Numerous tourists come here to look at the 24-meter pyramid of Kukulkan, built of an unusual stone. in the form of a snake. The ancient inhabitants of Chichen Itza mistook his image for a deity descending to earth. The serpent, which annually changes its skin, is a symbol of rebirth, renewal. A kilometer from the Kukulkan pyramid there is another sacrificial sanctuary - the Cenote well, which is a natural reservoir. Maya threw young girls into it. At the entrance of the excavations, archaeologists removed a lot of jewelry and more than 50 female skulls from the bottom.
In addition, in Chichen Itza, it is worth visiting the Snail building. According to scientists, this is an observatory: the windows of the building are precisely oriented to the four cardinal directions. In the same city, there is one of the oldest ball stadiums in the world. For the Maya, the game was not only entertainment, but also part of the sacrifice. The losing team was killed in the hope of appeasing the gods. Today in the Yucatan you can see the descendants of the ancient Maya. About 2.5 million of them live in Mexico. All of them have retained the knowledge of their native language and ancient traditions. The Mayan village consists of several bamboo shacks: three walls and a roof made of palm leaves. Hammocks hang inside the shacks, and there is also a hearth. Modern Maya breed pigs, poultry, dogs, and the farm uses primitive tools: a washing trough, a stone bowl for grinding corn grains into flour.
CANCUN, in the past a small fishing village, today is a fashionable resort of international importance. The city is divided into two parts: the so-called business part, where the local population lives and works, and the hotel part, where hundreds of hotels and dozens of well-maintained beaches. Sailing competitions and windsurfing. Exciting spearfishers also gather here. Cancun is also good for families. From here, the whole family can go to the Xcaret National Park. Xcaret is the richest collection of exotic animals and birds: Mexican spotted horses, oxen with a hump on their backs, turtles, crocodiles, sea cows, spider monkeys
Physical and geographical map of Mexico Most of Mexico is occupied by the Mexican Highlands with marginal ranges of the Eastern Sierra Madre (4054 m), the Western Sierra Madre (3150 m) and the Transverse Volcanic Sierra (active volcanoes Orizaba, 5700 m, Popocatepetl, 5452 m, etc. .), the Southern Sierra Madre, and the Transverse Volcanic Sierra or Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. southeast of the low-lying Yucatan Peninsula.
The nature of Mexico According to the natural and climatic conditions, the Mexicans themselves distinguish four altitudinal belts. "Tierra Caliente" hot zone, includes all coastal areas and foothills. It is hot here both in winter and summer, but the summer-autumn rainy season stands out; rainfall is sufficient for the development of tropical rainforests. (selva) "Tierra Templada" is a warm belt of land lying at altitudes of 1000–1500 m. The climate here is moderately hot, light tropical forests with sparse stands in the absence of lianas predominate in the vegetation. "Tierra Fria" is a cool belt, lies at an altitude of 1500-2700 m and occupies vast expanses of the Mexican Highlands, including the Northern and Central Mesa, the slopes and foothills of the Transverse Volcanic Sierra and the Southern Sierra Madre. Summers here are moderately warm, and winters are cool with frosts; the vegetation on the slopes of the southern mountains is oak-pine forests, on the northern arid plateaus it is desert and semi-desert with typical cacti. "Tierra Elada" is a frosty belt that covers the slopes of mountains and plateau peaks above 2700 m. Frosts often occur here, at an altitude of 2900–3500 m forests disappear, giving way to alpine meadows and eternal snows, crowning many peaks of the Volcanic Sierra, reaching 5000–5500 m .
The main stages of the history of settlement years ago, when there was a Pleistocene glaciation, the sea level was lower, and through the area of \u200b\u200bthe modern Bering Strait, hunters and gatherers, periodically fishermen migrated from Asia to North America years ago, active melting of glaciers and rising sea levels led to the cessation of migration , since the land bridges disappeared years ago, moving from north to south, people reached the strait separating South America from Tierra del Fuego.
The most famous ancient cultures are Chatal Huyuk. One of the earliest cities in the world BC Located on the edge of the Konya Valley, Eastern Turkey. Sumerians in Mesopotamia IV-III millennium BC Ancient Egypt is one of the first states in the Nile River valley around the beginning of the IV millennium BC. Chinese civilization (the ancestors of the state-forming ethnos Han) is a group of cultures united under the name Yangshau ca BC. in the Huang He river basin. The history of India began with the emergence of the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished most in the 3rd millennium BC. (Mohenjo-Daro)
Development of culture 10,000 years ago humid climate, BC tepespan man - the oldest remains in the territory of Mexico years ago dry climatic phase return to gathering: roots, fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs, catching rodents, snakes, lizards, snails, insects. (tribes of the "desert culture" years ago initial cultivation of corn , use of cassava roots, weak settlement Mid-3rd millennium BC slash-and-burn agriculture on hills, floodplain on silts, fishing.
Pre-Columbian history years ago Paleo-Indian years ago Archaic 2000 – 300 AD Formative or pre-classical (divided into initial, early, middle, late and final) AD. classic y.g. AD postclassical
The ancient Mexicans associated this myth with Tamoanchan and Teotihuacan. God Ometeotl is a dual god - the lord and mistress of the flesh, the mother and father of the gods, who created everything. He gave birth to four sons - their name is Tezcatlipocy - a smoking mirror. white black red and blue. their colors also symbolize the 4 forces of nature - earth, water, air and fire, 4 cardinal points - and the eras under their influence. These gods were to create the history of the world. At first they worked together, but then one of them turned himself into the sun to dominate and created people without reason from the ashes. One of Tezcatlipoc, who is identified with Quetzalcoatl, destroyed this first sun, causing a flood, everything was washed away and people became fish. The next age of giants was destroyed by the fall of heavenly and earthly monsters. The third sun (age) one of Tezcatlipoc caused a fiery rain and everything perished in the fourth fire - monkey-people lived in the wind in the fourth. Then the gods gathered in Teotihuacan and decided to recreate the earth. They created an earth goddess with many mouths and eyes. Two of the gods turned into snakes and tore her to the ground and the firmament. And she became the ancestor of everything - from the nose and shoulders - mountains and valleys, trees and large plants from hair, small ones from skin, and eyes and mouths gave rise to streams and rivers. But it was dark, and they sat by the hearth and thought: "Who is destined to throw himself into the fire and become the sun." One of them tried several times, but did not dare, then the other jumped and became the Sun, the second felt ashamed, he jumped, but already became the Moon. But they had to set the luminaries in motion, and the remaining two sacrificed themselves and set the luminaries in motion. It was necessary to revive people, and this was taken over by Quetzalcoatl, a symbol of divine wisdom, who went to the abode of the dead for the bones of the people of the 4th Sun. The lord of the abode of the dead, Mictantekukhtli, put him to the test, but he managed to take out the bones and, placing them in an earthen vessel, he, in order to give them life, sprinkled them with blood from the reproductive organ. The name of a person is makeual - obtained by a feat.
Olmecs According to legend, the Olmecs arrived by sea, knew magic, charms, picture writing and songs. They settled in the village of Tamoanchan, which means “We are looking for our home.” They praised the “lord of everything”, like the night and the wind, they called him Ometeotl (lord and mistress of the flesh, mother and father of the gods who created everything). But one day the wise men - the color of the people again boarded their ships and sailed east, promising to return on the eve of the end of the world, and the rest settled the surrounding lands and began to call themselves by the name of their great leader, the sorcerer and high priest Olmec Wimtoni. They identified themselves with jaguars (totem), considered themselves descendants of a mortal woman and a divine jaguar. The Olman country is the country of rubber or Tlalocan is the country of abundance (but Tlaloc is the god of rain) The Olmecs appeared in the southern part of Veracruz in the valley of the Coatzacoalcos river around the centuries BC. e and disappeared in the 4-2 centuries BC. e BC Pre-Olmec period BC late Olmec period BC Early Olmec period. 600 BC - 0 Epiolmec
San Lorenzo The first settlement and ceremonial center - an island among the river branches - an artificially raised plateau of 500 hectares in the valley of the Coatzacoalcos river. Bahio Chicharras San Lorenzo - heyday /800 Nacaste 900 BC decline of Palangan sunset and departure from San Lorenzo Already in the phase of Bajio, earthworks were carried out, therefore there were leaders. The Chicharas phase - tools made of obsidian - but there are no deposits - were brought from Guadeloupe, from Victoria (Puebla), Otumba (Central Mexico), El Chayal - Guatemala - a developed long-way trade. Sandstone products. White and black ceramics (Mohonera black) San Lorenzo - up to 5000 inhabitants, three-level structure of the settlement: city, large settlements up to 25 hectares, on hills at approximately equal distances, small villages and individual farms, the bulk of sculptures, stone heads, basalt were carried from Sierro Sintepek in the south of the Tuxtla mountains. (50 km from the city). Water supply (2 km excavated) and drainage systems, the compass was known. There are basalt sculpture restoration workshops in the city. One of the settlements of El Manati In San Lorenzo, several statuettes of ball players were found, radiocarbon dated to the year BC. e. Plumbing in San Lorenzo made of slabs and blocks of basalt.
El-Manati BC One of the settlements and sacred places is El Manati. It was located 17 km from San Lorenzo at the spring at the foot of the hill. The bottom of the sacred reservoir is lined with sandstone slabs. The swampy terrain contributed to the conservation of organic materials. Ritual offerings on the slabs: jadeite celts and beads, rubber balls, clay vessels. - this is El-Manati phase A (gg BC) El-Manati B - BC - polished jadeite celts, laid in series horizontally or oriented to the cardinal points, and rubber spheroids. El-Manati phase of Makayal and 40 wooden anthropomorphic sculptures-busts The figures were accompanied by wands, stone knives, painted animal bones, leftovers of leaves, fruits and nuts, fragments of mats and ropes, lumps of hematite. Bones of infants and newborns. in El Manati, dozens of balls ranging in size from 10 to 22 cm in diameter were found. Five of these balls have been dated to the earliest period of settlement in the area, approximately BC. e. These balls were found in burials, which indicates their religious and ritual significance even in such an ancient period. 3 km from El Manati location of La Merced more than 600 Celts, fragments of hematite and pyrite mirrors
La Venta Located on the surface of a salt dome of the Miocene age, 15 km from the Gulf of Mexico (Tabasco) 1200 - 400 BC. platforms earth embankments and ramparts, sculptures and burial structures. The Great Pyramid, made of clay and soil, 128*144 m base and 33 m high inside, geophysics discovered a basalt structure. Ritual courtyard framed by columns and a tomb made of basalt pillars. Luxurious decoration of the tombs. The altars are full of sculptures. In one altar, a ruler or priest peeps out of a niche and holds a baby with features of a jaguar, and nearby other figures hold a crying jaguar baby. Acropolis of Stirling – a 7 m high 324*260m mound platform, grounds for ritual ball games, water supply, and the First image of the Feathered Serpent. 16 figurines standing in a crowd were found in caches with gifts
Mirrors Mirrors are very common in Mesoamerican culture. The Olmecs made mirrors from solid pieces of magnetite, hematite or ilmenite. They polished, gave a concave shape. Possibly to start a fire. The Zapotecs, Teotiucans, and Maya made mirrors from thin plates of pyrite that were glued to shale or sandstone. The Toltecs decorated their mirrors with turquoise. The Aztecs polished obsidian mirrors Mirrors had religious significance - even modern Huichol Indians call mirrors "a path for spirits and ancestors." And the dark lord from the Aztec pantheon Tezcatlipoca (smoking mirror) watched human souls with the help of a system of mirrors.
San Andreas Located 5.5 km from La Venta Island. The early layers belong to the phases of Ojochi, Bajio and Chicharros. Part of this time the city was flooded - in the sediments only silt and only by 900 and before 400 BC. the city is reborn. 650 BC A ceramic seal in the form of a cylinder and four fragments of a jade plate were found during excavations of an Olmec settlement in Mexico in the San Andreas region. These things are carved with signs. Maria Paul and her colleagues from State University Florida states that these signs are the letters of the Olmec language. Archaeologists found a seal and fragments of a plate in a garbage heap left over from the holiday and the meal. The age of the cultural layer was determined from coals from the same deposits by radiocarbon analysis.
Tres Zapotes It is located in the west of the foothills of the Tuxtla Mountains along the Huepan stream BC. few monuments Tres Zapotes phase - BC heads and monuments and, in the surrounding villages, objects made of obsidian, the source of which is km. The famous stele with the date 32 AD is already from the Uepan phase -400 BC AD. with text 147 cm
Olmecs outside their territory Chalkacingo (east of Morelos) basalt rocks near the city of Cautla Neither in Veracruz nor in Tabasco there are deposits of jade. But tens of tons of jade products. Jade deposits in Mount Guerrero in Oaxaca and Morelos, as well as in the mountains of Guatemala and on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica
Religious system Shamanism A three-dimensional world, a Shaman mediator between the worlds. They could use narcotic drugs: bones of the sea toad Bufomainus were found in San Lorenzo, from whose glands a strong hallucinogen is extracted. Sophora secundiflora (the beans are toxic), and the peyote cactus have already been used in desert culture since 7500. Agricultural cults of astronomical (fertility) and world-building elements: fire, water, earth and significant elements of the relief of the river, volcanoes. The cult of the ruler is the ritualization of his exceptional role. Strange gods Olmec dragon - features of a crocodile, jaguar, bird of prey, snake and man Monstrous bird - half eagle half reptile Monstrous fish God with a blindfold Feathered serpent
The origin of the Olmecs One of the hypotheses is African. In her favor: 1.Evidence of skeletons: up to 30% of those studied are African with Caucasian features. (2% with European and a few with Polynesian) Genetic evidence: mtDNA and the V-antigen of the Rh system - up to 75% of Mexicans have African roots Cultural evidence: Sculpture . the heads have clearly African features, the figurines from Tuxtla bear a resemblance to the Malinque-Barbara culture. Writing Clyde Winters suggested that the Olmecs spoke the language of the Malinque family (Senegal, Mali) and deciphered part of the Olmec texts.
Teotihuacan - the abode of the gods or the place where people became gods Quetzal bird (quetzal) Located on the north-east of Mexico City, 50 km in the center of the Mexican Highlands (Anahuac Plateau). Part of it, Central Mesa, located at an altitude of 2600 m, the result activity of numerous ancient volcanoes. It contains the Mexico City Basin, in which there is a valley where the San Juan River flowed, flowing into Lake Texcoco. The height of the valley is from 2240 to 2350 m.
In this area, since 2000 BC, farmers lived in villages. On the outskirts of Mexico City, in the town of Tlatilco (a place where things are hidden), burials were excavated (3000 years ago), in which figurines and objects made of obsidian were found, clay masks painted with jaguar- deity, image of a feathered serpent-Quetzalcoatl and ball players Clay molded tlatilco figurines Clay mask life and death Woman on a bench
Two-headed goddess, first millennium BC Tlatilco ceramics Two figurines from Tlatilco, BC. e. Female figurine, Tlatilco
Figured clay vessels in the form of an acrobat and animals Tlatilco BC
Cuicuilco.. The slopes of the pyramid are lined with river boulders held together with clay mortar. On one side there is a staircase, on the opposite side there is a ramp. The staircase led to its flat top, where stood an altar made of mud bricks plastered over and covered with paintings. The pyramid was renovated and overlaid with blocks of volcanic stone. During the heyday of Cuilcuilco, Teotihuacan was a village. However, in 50 AD, the city was flooded with lava from the Shitli volcano, even the pyramid is covered with 6-7 meters of lava, and, according to historians, the surviving population moved to Teotihuacan. During the Proto-Teotihuacan period (BC), village communities formed into a single entity, by the end of the period a large settlement grew into small town in the northwestern part of the late, large, Teotihuacan. The earliest obsidian workshops also appeared at this time. By 1 AD pyramids and temples The heyday of Teotikuan. AD Teotihuacan was located in the north of Texcoco, and in the south from 700 BC. before 150/200 AD there was a city and the ceremonial center of Cuicuilco. A pyramid was built here, from adobes (raw bricks) 18 meters high and 111 meters in diameter at the base. The age of the pyramid and burials is at least 2000 years
Legends about the origin of Teotihuacan 1. When darkness still reigned, when there was still no day, when there was still no light, there, in Teotihuacan, the gods gathered and spoke among themselves: “Which of you will take the trouble to have daylight.” And the gods created the moon and the sun, but they did not move. The gods began to confer: “How are we going to live? We must give the Sun power by sacrificing ourselves. Which of us will take over, who will make sure that there is a day, that there is light. Let's all die!" And then there, in Teotihuacan, the hour of death of the gods came. "And here (in Teotihuacan) a divine fire blazed, burning for four whole years." Tecuxistecatl and Nanahuatzin had to throw themselves into the fire to turn into gods. Nanahuatzin sacrificed himself and threw himself into the fire, and the arrogant Tecuxistecatl got scared and threw himself into the ashes. Therefore, Nanahuatzin became the god of the Sun, and Tecuxistecatl was reborn and became the Moon, a luminary with a faded light. It was at this moment that Quetzalcoatl appeared - the "Feathered Serpent", who took the form of a white bearded man. He gave a calendar that set the exact date for the end of the Fifth Sun, December 23, 2012, taught people how to use fire for cooking. He built houses, taught men and women to live as husband and wife. The Feathered Serpent created laws, opened medicine and corn to people, getting it from the Mountain of Supply. 2. An Indian legend says that in ancient times, a huge snake with a fluttering multi-colored tail “of fiery feathers” descended from the sky to the place where Tiotihuacan is today, making a strange sound. And when she sank to the ground, thirteen gods came out of her. The gods were “very tall, in silver suits sparkling in the sun, with balls transparent in front, the same color as the suits, were put on their heads. Only the one who walked in front took the ball off his head and carried it in his hands. A long cloak was thrown over his suit. His complexion was white, his eyes were as blue as the sky, and his hair was reddish brown. The bottom of his face was also covered with hair of the same color. 3. Ancestors came from the east from the country of Tamoanchan: And immediately set off on the road, everyone set off on the road, children, elders, women and old women. Very slowly, very sedately, "they went, they gathered there, in Teotihuacan. And the sages, experts in the great mysteries, keepers of traditions became rulers. And all people began to pay honors to the Sun and the Moon, and then to pay honors to many less important gods. priests of all people, and the city was called Teotihuacan, because “when the rulers died, they were buried there. .. After all, it was said: when we die, in reality we do not die, because we live, we are resurrected. That is why the old people used to say: the one who died became a god. They said: he became a god there, which means he died.
The basis of Teotihuacan's wealth was agriculture and obsidian. As in all ancient cities of Mesoamerica, there was in the first place the so-called. the green zone is the outlet of springs, the location of wells, the second is terraced farming and, finally, unusual farming on chinampas - artificial islands or long stretches of land on 3 sides of which canals. The chinampas system is 2000 years old.
And the heyday of Teotikuan AD and the emergence of the city itself occurred in the era of Teotihuacan I (200 BC - 0). The axis of the city - "Street of the Dead" runs from north to south (17 0 from the modern north) - paved like other streets with lime mortar, hard as a stone. She and the main buildings, the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, appeared at the end of this period and the beginning of the next (200 BC -200 AD). In the south - the Citadel - a platform surrounded by small pyramids. Here is the temple of Quetzalcoatl and the northern and southern palaces, which served both for administrative purposes and for housing. There are also buildings along the road: the Temple of Agriculture, the square with columns, the Viking Group, etc. And to the south of the pyramid of the moon is the temple of Quetzalpapalotl with carvings on the columns - a butterfly-bird. Famous frescoes in the palace of the jaguar Not far from the Pyramid of the Sun, the ancient Temple of Feathered Shells The walls of the buildings of Teotihuacan were painted. The palaces located around the city are decorated with wall paintings. Atetelko with two patios. Courtyard with excellent frescoes of figures of priests, coyotes and bird heads. In the White Courtyard, the older of the two, murals depict jaguars and coyotes with feathered heads, as well as Tlaloc. Tetitla ("Place with stones"), 1.5 km from the Pyramid of the Sun - with orange jaguars, geometric patterns, water gods and quetzals and symbolic images of hands. Tepantitla with the famous frescoes of Paradise of Tlaloc, a procession of priests giving praise to the god of rain, and with the other world of Tlaloc, where the drowned were going, it was a place of eternal joy, eternal games and songs. Within Teotihuacan, there were more than 2,200 one-story residential buildings. Each had a small patio, and about 300 artisans were engaged in the processing of obsidian.
Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun AD The foundation occupies an area of 45,000 m2, height 65 m, made of cobblestone, clay and earth and lined with stone, crowned with a temple. It was originally covered with a thick layer of stucco. In the thickness of this pyramid, an older pyramidal structure was hidden, under which, at a depth of six meters, a cave 100 meters wide. The cave was a sacred place even before the pyramid was erected over it. The cave is connected by a system of tunnels with other structures. 4 smaller grottoes departed from it; all together commemorated the shape of a clover leaf. This cave, formed by a huge bubble of gas in the lava, was the reason for the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun. Skeletons with bound hands and feet were found in the pyramid of the sun - captives sacrificed.
Pyramid of the Moon. The 42m high pyramid is made of raw brick and lined with hewn stone blocks. The Pyramid of the Moon is characterized by the presence of very narrow high steps that make it difficult to climb. And at the top is a platform used for ritual ceremonies in honor of Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of water and the moon. In the depths of the pyramid of the moon, they found a burial chamber with the remains of 12 human bodies. All of them had their hands tied behind their backs, but 10 of them were beheaded and thrown in disorder in the middle of the cell. According to one version, they were the enemies of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan. The other two victims appeared to be among the local elite, as they were neatly planted, wearing jade jewelry, necklaces made of imitation human jaws, and other signs of high position. In the center of the chamber is a large jade mosaic surrounded by 18 obsidian knives. Also found in the chamber were the skeletons of five wolves (or coyotes), three puma or jaguar skeletons, and 13 eagle remains. Perhaps these animals were symbols of warriors (military unions).
Tepantitla with the famous frescoes of Paradise of Tlaloc, a procession of priests praising the god of rain, and with the other world of Tlaloc, where the drowned were heading, it was a place of eternal joy, eternal games and songs. Fresco depicting the main goddess of Teotihuacan (Tepantitla)
the Temple of the Mythological Animals, in which the remains of animal frescoes were found, and the Temple of Agriculture, whose frescoes depict plants. The tunnel leads to the site of probably the oldest building in Teotihuacan. Known as the Foundation of Caracoles (Winged or Feathered Snails), it lies below the Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly and not far from the Pyramid of the Sun. The best-preserved façade, which once belonged to the temple, is decorated with superb relief: snails, colorfully feathered green birds and four-leafed flowers. Continuing along the "Street of the Dead" in the direction of the Pyramid of the Moon, after about 400 meters on the left you can see the so-called Additional Buildings. Once they included a vestibule with six columns, a large courtyard with stairs, a small temple, galleries and other rooms for various purposes. There are still remains of frescoes on some of the walls. A little further north of the Additional Buildings is the Viking Group, named after the American Foundation. In this area with two courtyards, two mica slabs were found, each 6 cm thick.
Things created in Teotihuacan are found throughout Mesoamerica, and in the eastern and western parts of the city many objects were found, the Mayazapotec of the Totonacs - therefore there was a merchant class. Craft quarters adjoined the aristocratic center - workshops for processing obsidian, potters. Ceramics of 2 types - household and ritual and festive The remains of ovens and terracotta figurines cast in special forms are professionals. At the new stage, such gods as Huehueteotl, the god of fire, who was constantly revered by people, were preserved. Fresco evidence indicates that the Teotihuacans were huge warriors, their goal was not to conquer territory, but to capture captives for sacrifice. So they tried to prevent the end of the world. According to the mythology of most of the ancient peoples of Central America, the world has experienced four cycles or "suns". They lived under the fifth sun, which was coming to an end. Thus, the inhabitants of the city at any moment expected the end of the world, which would be destroyed by earthquakes. Thousands of captives were sacrificed to delay the catastrophe. They also made sacrifices for the dedication of the new building. In the Pyramid of the Sun, skeletons of children were found in the corner of each step. Discovered under the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, three burial pits were filled with skeletons. It seems that the first deity in Teotihuacan was a woman, "Spider Woman". Descriptions of another female deity, the Water Goddess, have survived. According to archaeoastronomer John B. Carlson, the cult of the planet Venus, which determined wars and human casualties elsewhere in Mesoamerica, was also prevalent in Teotihuacan. Ceremonial rituals were calculated with the appearance of Venus in the morning and evening sky. The symbol of Venus in Teotihuacan is a star or half star with a full or semicircle. Other important deities of Teotihuacan are the rain god (called Tlaloc by the Aztecs), Quetzalcoatl (the Winged Serpent), the sun god and moon goddess, Hipe Totec (the god associated with the rebirth of nature). Altars to the old god of fire and Spider Woman have been found.
Chavin de Huantara Chavin de Huantara, a ceremonial center at an altitude of 3048 m in the North Peruvian Andes. The buildings, in which several periods of reconstruction have been identified, are various temple platforms containing a number of interconnected galleries and chambers at different levels. In the oldest part of the complex, Lanson was found - a granite block 4.5 m high, on which a human figure with fangs of a cat predator and snakes instead of hair was carved (photo 101). The lintels, doors and cornices are decorated with relief decorations of a similar style. Stone heads of a man and a jaguar were built into the outer wall of one of the platforms. The origin of the culture of Ch. is still unclear. The ancient cult complex of Chavin de Huantar, the ruins of which were discovered in a high-mountainous valley in the Peruvian Andes, gave its name to an entire culture that developed here in the years. BC. it former place worship is one of the oldest and best known pre-Columbian monuments. Its appearance is striking, with a complex of terraces and squares surrounded by structures made of polished stone with zoomorphic ornamentation. Chavin de Huantar, Spanish Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site located at an altitude of 3200 m above sea level in the Andes in the Ancash region, 250 km north of Lima. It belonged to the Chavin culture, which controlled trade routes west to the Pacific through the Andes passes and east to the Amazon. e. the Chavin cult of the jaguar and its derivatives became established in the wider territory of present-day Peru. The Chavin de Huantar was built during the Chavin culture that existed in the region before the rise of the Moche kingdom, around 900 BC. e. The two main structures are the old temple and the new temple. The old temple was built in the shape of a U, inside of which there is a central courtyard. Inside the courtyard are stone obelisks and monuments decorated with reliefs depicting jaguars, caimans, falcons and various humanoid figures. Inside the temple is a labyrinth of corridors, rooms, and plumbing fixtures. BC e., is larger, a large number of sculptures were found inside it. The stairs lead to a narrow courtyard. Hidden passages and platforms allowed the priests to appear as if from nowhere. Obelisk Lanzon
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1. General information about the country
2. Political and economic-geographical position of the country
3. Natural conditions and resources
4. general characteristics population
5. Branches of international specialization of the economy and their main regions and centers
6. Problems and prospects for the development of the country
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General information about the country
- Area: 1.97 million sq. km
- Population: 107 million people
- Capital: Mexico City
- Language: Spanish
- Currency: Mexican Peso
- Time: 8 hours behind Kyiv
- Average temperature: +22°C in winter, +28°C in summer
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Political and economic-geographical position of the country
Mexico (Spanish: México [ˈmexiko]), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos) is a state in North America, bordering the United States in the north, Belize and Guatemala in the southeast, and is washed by the waters of the Gulf of California in the west and the Pacific Ocean, in the east - the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
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The Mexican peso (MXP) is equal to 100 centavos. In circulation there are banknotes 1000, 500, 200, 100,
50, 20 and 10 pesos and coins of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 pesos, 50, 20, 10 and 5 centavos. 1 UAH = 2 MXP
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Climate
In the north, the climate is subtropical, in other areas - tropical. The coastal plains are humid and hot. In the Acapulco region during the year around + 30 ° С during the day, + 21 + 24 ° С at night. It is cooler on the coast of the Caribbean Sea: in winter + 24 ° C during the day and + 19 ° C at night, in summer + 31 ° C during the day and + 25 ° C at night. In the central elevated areas, maximum temperatures are observed in April and May: +27°C during the day and +11+13°C at night; in winter +21°C during the day and +7°C at night. At altitudes in the northern part of the country, temperatures can drop below 0°C in winter. The rainy season lasts from May to October, at which time powerful tropical cyclones often occur. Annual precipitation in the north is 250 mm, in the south - 1500 mm.
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relief
Mexico is crossed from north to south by two mountain ranges: the Sierra Madre East and the Sierra Madre West, which are an extension of the Rocky Mountains. North America. From east to west, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, also known as the Sierra Nevada, runs through the center of the country. The fourth mountain range, the Sierra Madre South, is located between the states of Michoacán and Oaxaca. Thus, most of central Mexico and the northern territories are located at high altitudes. The highest mountains are in the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt: Orizaba peak (5700 m), Popocatepetl (5462 m), Iztaccíhuatl (5286 m) and Nevado de Toluca (4577 m). Three large urban agglomerations are located in the valleys between these four heights: Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico City and Puebla de Zaragoza.
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population
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- The population is 112.5 million people (July 2010 estimate, 11th in the world).
- Self-name - Mexicans (Spanish mexicanos).
- Annual increase - 1.1% (emigration rate - 0.4%, fertility - 2.3 births per woman).
- The average life expectancy is 73 years for men, 79 years for women.
- Age composition - 0-14 years old: 28.7%, 15-64 years old: 64.9%, 65 years and older: 6.4% (for 2010).
- Ethno-racial composition: mestizos - 60%, Indians - 30%, whites - 9%, others - 1%.
- Religions - Catholics 76.5%, Protestants 4.9% (including Pentecostals from the Assemblies of God 1.4%), atheists 3.1%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1% (1.91% in 2011), undecided 13.8%, other religions 0.3% (according to the 2000 census).
- Several thousand Mexicans are Orthodox Christians under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church in America.
- Languages - 92.7% of the population speak only Spanish, 5.7% speak Spanish and some Indian language, 0.8% know only the language of local Indians (2005 estimate).
- Literacy - 92% male, 89% female, overall literacy 91% (est. 2004).
- Urban population - 77% (in 2008).
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Culture and traditions
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Mexico has a reputation for being an energetic and festive country. About every month there
some national event or fiesta takes place, followed by a local saint's day or a city festival. The brightest event in the cultural calendar is the Carnival, held in late February or early March (one week before the Day of Repentance). It is especially fun in Mazatlán, Veracruz and La Paz. The youth's favorite holiday is the spooky Dia de Los Muertos, which is celebrated after All Saints' Day - November 2nd. A few weeks before the holiday, all the markets are overflowing with skull-shaped candies and papier-mâché skeletons. December 12 is the day of Saint Guadeloupe - the main religious face of the country.
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Kitchen
The national cuisine is based on a huge selection of local products: corn, avocados, beans, zucchini, sweet and regular potatoes, tomatoes, cacti, chili peppers, pumpkin, poultry, vanillin, peanuts (and its butter), cocoa, as well as many types of fish. The main component of many dishes is corn - fried and boiled, in the form of flour and as a drink, with mayonnaise or grated cheese, with meat and ground pepper. The most common charcoal-baked corn tortilla stuffed with "taco", meat in cornmeal "posoles", a mixture of toasted cornmeal with cocoa "pinoles", a cornmeal tortilla "tortilla", steamed "tamales" - pieces of corn dough with sauce, nachos, etc. Hot chili peppers - business card Mexican cuisine, there are more than 80 varieties of it. Hundreds of types of sauces are made from pepper, it is stuffed, added to vegetable salads, meat and fish dishes. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Indians created many original recipes from local game (boiled snake, iguana with corn porridge, baked snake, etc.).
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economy
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Mexico is an industrial-agrarian country, one of the most economically developed in Latin
America. Oil and natural gas are produced (one of the leading places in Latin America), iron ore, sulfur, ores of antimony, mercury and graphite. Mexico is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of fluorspar. In the manufacturing industry, the most developed black and non-ferrous metallurgy, engineering, chemical and petrochemical, cotton, food and flavor industries. Oil refining is underdeveloped, being one of the world's largest oil exporters, Mexico imports oil products.
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AT agriculture crop production prevails - corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans,
cotton, coffee, fruits, tomatoes; cows and poultry are bred. Logging, fishing, shrimp fishing.
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Landmarks of Mexico
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Mayan pyramids
There are a lot of Mayan pyramids in the country; they are true ancient monuments in Mexico. Many of them are buried under a layer of earth, covered with dense tropical vegetation and are just green hills. Most pyramids are multi-layer structures. The oldest pyramid is located inside, and above it there are several later superstructures and claddings. The oldest pyramidal structures were discovered in the capital of the Toltecs - Tula, they are surrounded by strange multi-ton stone heads of mysterious creatures.
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Pyramid in Cholula
The pyramid in Cholula is the largest in the world: in volume it exceeded the pyramid of Cheops (now most of the pyramid is destroyed). A giant 8-kilometer tunnel allows you to get acquainted with the peculiarities of the masonry of colossal ancient structures, and the church located at the top of the pyramid gives a special "charm" to this unique area. Another impressive group of pyramids - Mitle and Monte Alban - is located near the city of Oaxaca, and the oldest pyramidal structures in the Toltec capital of Tula are surrounded by strange multi-ton stone heads of mysterious creatures. Places such as Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tahin, Tikal, Xcaret, Shel-Ha, Mayapan, Mitla and Uxmal are simply priceless monuments of ancient civilizations.
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Shel-Ha
national park Shel-Ha is a natural aquarium in a mountain cave, fed partly by sea, partly by fresh water from underground rivers. Surprisingly clean and transparent water allows you to see exotic fish of unusual colors, and lush vegetation amazes with a range of shades.
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"Mexico" Completed by student 1 "B" group Kuznetsova Karina Alexandrovna Checked by the teacher: Kravchenko.S.I. Mexico(Mexico City)
Enrique Peña Nieto (President)
- Form of government: Presidential Republic
- federal state. The executive power is concentrated in the hands of the national government, and also belongs to the president, who is elected by direct universal suffrage for 6 years. Legislative power is vested in a bicameral Congress. The lower house consists of 500 members. The upper house (senate) consists of 128 members.
- The United States of Mexico is located in the southwestern part of North America. In the east they are washed by the Caribbean Sea, in the west by the Pacific Ocean. The Rio Grande flows to the northeast.
- An important feature is the neighborhood with the United States. The main railroads and highways from the interior of the country approach the US borders.
- Water resources are distributed extremely unevenly, which, together with other factors, creates difficulties for agriculture. Many parts of Mexico need irrigation.
- It occupies one of the first places in the world among industrialized countries in terms of reserves of a number of valuable minerals. Rich in oil, gas, silver, gold, iron ores, sulfur
- Born: 2,467,730 people
- Dead: 608,937 people
- Natural population growth: 1,858,793 people
- Migration population growth: -108,739 people
- Men: 63,953,038 (as of December 31, 2016)
- Women: 65,724,983 (as of December 31, 2016)
- Mexico ranks second in Latin America in terms of industrial potential.
- Over 70% of the cost of industrial products falls on heavy industry (oil refining and petrochemistry), as well as metallurgy and mechanical engineering. Most of these enterprises are owned by foreign capital (USA, Japan, Germany)
- The most important agricultural crops include wheat, rice, barley, maize, and sorghum. Other important export crops include fruits and vegetables, especially tomatoes, oranges and mangoes, bananas, and coffee.
- Breeding large cattle in Mexico is concentrated in the north-central region, which exports a large number of cattle to the United States.
- The length of railway lines is 24 thousand km, 19.9 thousand km are in operation.
- The importance of road transport is rapidly increasing, including in long-distance transportation.
- Of greatest importance are the pipelines connecting the oil and gas industries with the centers of the Mexican Highlands. The development of air transport has eliminated the isolation of many areas. Sea transport provides 54% of export and 34% of import traffic
Cathedral
Sumidero Canyon
Island of Women
International economic relations
- In 2002, Mexico managed to become the 2nd largest trade partner of the United States, ahead of Japan, which previously held this position.
- Mexico is well positioned to become the world's largest trading partner in the near future, primarily through its participation in NAFTA.
- Mexico's foreign trade in recent years has been characterized by high intensity. There is a significant increase in trade with various countries and regions, agreements on free trade, encouragement and mutual protection of investments were concluded.
MOBU "Verkhnevyazovsky secondary school"
The work was done by a student of the 11th grade,
Kurdyumova Daria.
- Mexico (United Mexican States) - a state in North America The total area of Mexico is 1,972,550 km², including about 6 thousand km² of islands in the Pacific Ocean (including the island of Guadalupe and the Revilla-Hihedo archipelago), the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of California . In terms of area, Mexico ranks 13th in the world.
- Mexico is divided into 31 states and one federal district.
- Mexico like most other countries Latin America is a presidential republic. Executive power is exercised by the President - Enrique Peña Nieto.
- Population - 121,005,815 people (11th in the world).
- The average life expectancy is 73 years for men, 79 years for women.
- Mexico is an industrial-agrarian country, one of the most economically developed in America. Oil, natural gas (one of the leading places in America), iron ore, sulfur, antimony, mercury and graphite ores are produced.
- Mexico is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of fluorspar. In the manufacturing industry, the most developed are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemical and petrochemical, cotton, and food and flavor industries.
- Oil refining is underdeveloped, being one of the world's largest oil exporters, Mexico imports oil products.
- The oil industry is the leading branch of the Mexican economy and the most important factor in the internal political struggle.
- Economically active population -45.2 million
- Unemployment rate: 5.2%
- Main industries: manufacturing, oil, mining, trade.
- The Mexican peso is the currency of Mexico.
- Agriculture is dominated by crop production - corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruits, tomatoes. Developed logging.
- One of the most stunning places in Mexico is called Chichen Itza, which is listed as a UNESCO heritage. It is here that El Castillo is located - the great building of the Mayan civilization.
