The term pre-Columbian refers to civilizations prior to the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. In fact, literally pre-Columbian means before Columbus.
The human origins of America
Scholars of the human origins of the American continent consider that the first settlers arrived through the Bering Strait, although according to other theories it was the inhabitants of the Pacific Islands who originally arrived in America about 40,000 years ago. From then on, a series of civilizations that make up the pre-Columbian world gradually developed.
Pre-Columbian civilizations
The Mayans were a people whose culture began 1000 BC. C and its civilization was maintained until the arrival of the first European settlers. The Mayans do not make up a homogeneous civilization, as they spoke several languages and were geographically widely dispersed (the territory of Mexico today and that of some Central American territories). Culturally they developed a writing system and had extensive knowledge in medicine and astronomy. The Maya were polytheists and worshiped the Bacabs gods. They were dedicated to agriculture, especially the cultivation of corn and cocoa.
Socially they had a hierarchical structure. Thus, the nobles or almehenoob and the priests were at the top of the social pyramid and each city-state was governed by a Mayan chief, known by the name of Halach Uinic. Below the ruling class were civil servants and at a lower level were warriors, artisans, and peasants. The base of the social pyramid was made up of slaves, who had normally been imprisoned in military conquests.
The Aztecs also believed in a plurality of gods, to whom they offered human sacrifices
Most of them spoke the Nahuatl language and their writing was based on a system of pictograms. From the cultural point of view they cultivated painting, music and goldsmithing and their architectural constructions showed high technical knowledge. Social power was held by the emperor in an absolute way and below him were the priests and warriors. The Aztec people were dedicated to agriculture, commerce and crafts.
The territory of the Incas extended to the north of Chile, a part of Bolivia and territories of Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador
This civilization did not have a conventional writing system but rather managed a system of knots (the quipus) to keep an accounting control of its commercial activities.
The archaeological remains of the Incas are scarce, as the conquerors destroyed their legacy. However, the few remains that are preserved allow several conclusions to be drawn: they practiced the cult of the Sun, the lower classes used amulets, spoke Quechua and created a sophisticated network of roads to get around. The civilization of the Incas is also known by some testimonies of the first Spanish chroniclers, especially by the chronicles of Juan Diaz de Betanzos.
Photos: iStock - Sam Camp / Patrick Gijsbers
