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Find out moreORIGINAL QUESTION received from - and thanks to Jose Ramon Morales: How far north and and how far south did the Mesoamerican civilizations trade? (Answered by Julia Flood/Mexicolore)
German ethnologist Paul Kirchoff defined the Mesoamerican cultural area as extending from sites such as La Quemada (Zacatecas) in Northern Mexico, to Cuzcatlán (San Salvador) in El Salvador. These areas showed their Mesoamerican heritage through a series of common attributes that must have been fostered by communication and trade. These included agricultural techniques (such as the cultivation of maize, squash and chilli) and/or cultural traditions, ranging from architecture (pyramids and ball courts) to a common writing system, mythology, religion, and calendar. Of course, not all areas of Mesoamerica shared all of these traits.
The Aztec civilization was established during the Mesoamerican Late Postclassic (1250-1521), and they dominated and demanded tribute from communities as far south as Oaxcaca (the Soconusco region), Oxitipan in Northeastern Mexico (San Luis Potosí), Cihuatlan in the west (Jalisco), and all along the east coast. Nevertheless, the economic reach of the Aztecs went far further than these provinces, and signs of trade in Aztec goods such as obsidian and ceramics (1345-1521) have been found in Yucatán and the Maya area. Likewise, turquoise goods from the American Southwest have been excavated in Tenochtitlan.
Jose Ramon Morales
20th Oct 2013
Thanks! :D