Long before the Day of the Dead was celebrated, Mesoamerican cultures paid tribute to their dead on different dates of the ritual calendar. This cult of the dead, full of symbolism and connection to the earth, was the spiritual origin of one of Mexico’s most beloved traditions.
This Nahuatl text, collected by Sahagún’s indigenous informants and translated by Ángel María Garibay, reveals the initiatory journey of a young Pochteca. Through words loaded with symbolism and teachings, we learn about the physical, spiritual and emotional challenges of being a merchant in the Mexica world. An intimate portrait of the honor, effort and hope that drove these ancestral paths.
Trade was one of the key forces driving the power of the Mexica lordship. From local tianguis to the long-range routes organized by the Pochtecs, the exchange of products was much more than an economic activity: it was a strategy of expansion and prestige that consolidated political, military and cultural networks throughout Mesoamerica.
Agricultural work in the Mexica lordship was key to sustaining its economy. Different social groups, from calpulli peasants to tenant farmers and mayeque, actively participated in food production, with tasks differentiated according to their origin and link to the land. This system reflects the complexity of the Mexica social structure applied to the countryside.
In the Mexica lordship, property was not a simple right, but a symbol of prestige, bravery and belonging. This article analyzes how property, constructions and ways of life were regulated according to social rank, without delving into land, but highlighting the role of the calpulli and the symbolic function of objects and spaces.
La tierra en tiempos mexicas no era propiedad privada como la entendemos hoy, sino un recurso colectivo distribuido por calpullis y el Estado. Descubre cómo se organizaban las parcelas comunales, las tierras del templo y del ejército, así como las heredadas por los nobles por méritos o linaje.
The history of the Mexica lordship cannot be understood without observing the close relationship between its lake environment and its capacity for adaptation. From their settlement on the island of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the Mexica transformed a hostile landscape into an economic, political and cultural center of great importance. In this article we explore how the Mexica took advantage of the available natural resources and developed a complex system of production and trade that allowed them to sustain one of the largest cities in the pre-modern world.
Without pack animals or metal tools, the Mexica developed a highly efficient agricultural system. This article explores the use of huictli and chinampas as pillars of food production in Mexico-Tenochtitlan, highlighting their technical ingenuity and adaptation to the lake environment.
From their origins on an island with limited resources, the Mexica developed an economic system based on trade, adaptation to the environment and strategic expansion. This article explores how their production relations strengthened their political power and laid the foundations for one of the most influential lordships of the Postclassic period.
The Mesoamerican Postclassic was a period of intense mobility, where multiple peoples led processes of cultural and political reorganization. From the foundation of Tula to the league of Mayapán and the rise of lordships such as Cholula or Azcapotzalco, this stage was key to understanding the diversity and dynamism of Mesoamerica before the establishment of the viceroyalty.
The history of pre-Hispanic Mexico is not only written from the ruins. The codices, texts in indigenous languages and colonial chronicles, combined with archaeological discoveries, allow us to reconstruct in depth the spiritual, political and cultural life of the Mesoamerican post-classic period.
The Mesoamerican post-Classic period is often noted for its wealth of documentation, thanks to codices, chronicles and accounts that have survived to this day. However, it was not the only time with historical awareness: from the Olmecs to the Maya of the Classic period, they also left valuable records. In this article we explore why the Postclassic is considered more historical and how other periods also contributed to the written memory of Mesoamerica.
Pottery is much more than just fragments of clay: it is a window into the Mesoamerican past. This article explores how finds at Xochicalco reveal connections with Teotihuacán and other cultures, showing that this site was a key point of encounter, science and art between the 6th and 10th centuries AD.
The Mesoamerican Postclassic period marked a new stage after the collapse of the great Classic cities. It was a time of migrations, conflicts, political reorganization and the emergence of powerful states such as the Mexica. Far from being a dark period, it was an era of profound transformation and cultural expansion that prepared the ground for the great indigenous empires that Europeans would encounter centuries later.
Teotihuacan, located near present-day Mexico City, was one of the most impressive and enigmatic cities of pre-Hispanic Mexico. Known worldwide for its majestic pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, this ancient Mesoamerican metropolis was also a key center for cultural, astronomical and ceremonial development.
Learn about the most important irrigation ditches, canals and aqueducts that were part of Mexico City for a long time, in this detailed description.
Discover here all the 3D images and videos that have been made about the 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan.
Learn about the history of the lake’s past from ancient Tenochtitlán to the last vestiges of the irrigation ditches in Mexico City.
Meet the Sunrise in Xochimilco, one of the most amazing experiences that Mexico City has and that you will undoubtedly enjoy.
Mesoamerica was a cultural and geographic region that encompassed southern Mexico and parts of Central America, home to some of the most advanced civilizations of antiquity, such as the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec and Mexica. This category explores the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mesoamerica, their achievements in architecture, astronomy, mathematics and writing, as well as their religious beliefs and social structures that left a profound legacy in the history of Mexico.
