Ancient Americas

The Ancient Americas were a vast and complex patchwork of Indian Tribes, confederacies, and nomadic hunters that thrived long before European civilizations discovered the new world. This is referred to as the “Pre-Columbian era,” or the time preceding Christopher Columbus’s voyages in 1492.

The Olmecs were the first major civilization in the Americas. They emerged around 1200 BC and ruled the coastal lowlands of Mexico for nearly a thousand years. The Olmecs are famed for carving immense stone sculptures of their rulers’ heads, as well as jade face masks. They also invented a writing system, ball game, chocolate for drinking, and a method for making rubber. They had a major influence on later civilizations such as the Maya and the Aztecs.

The Maya may have appeared as early as 2000 BC, but their civilization peaked from about 250 to 900 AD in southeastern Mexico and parts of Central America, such as Guatemala. A very advanced society, the Maya developed a written language, as well as sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. They also constructed incredible buildings and passages to the underworld. The mythological Xibalba was an underground court overseen by twelve rulers. In order to find peace in the afterlife, humans had to pass through a series of tests, including a scorpion-filled river and a house of hungry jaguars. A number of underground entrances (through caves and natural wells) have been discovered at Chichén Itzá and in the village of Tahtzibichen in Mexico, as well as in Guatemala and Belize. It’s unclear whether the legend inspired the construction of the sites or the other way around. The Mayans dominated the region until around AD 900, when the civilization mysteriously collapsed. The end of the Mayan civilization remains an unanswered question.

Equally fascinating are the puzzling pyramids of their contemporaries, the society of Teotihuacán. Construction of this massive archaeological site, located near present day Mexico City, began around 100 BC and continued until about AD 250. The incredible metropolis includes vast residential complexes, colorful murals, and buildings aligned with the stars.

In South America, the Incas started building Machu Picchu around AD 1400 in Peru’s Andes Mountains. Machu Picchu was miraculously kept hidden from the Spanish conquistadors, and the well-preserved site remains one of the most frequently visited in the world.

Find out more about the complexity of the civilizations of ancient America in the following DVD books, including video with expert commentary, as well as full-length books complete with photos, maps, and timelines.