The Origins
Created | Updated May 27, 2003
Where did the the people that would build great civilizations come from? Most people know, but if for any reason someone does not, it will be written. They came to the Americas from Asia. One reasons most historians think they came from Asia, are the racial features. The original Americans have asiatic eyes. It is also known that they first entered North America and made their way south. Their route was through the Bering Strait when it was possible to walk through it. The people passed through there looking for better hunting. Some stayed in the north, others went more to the south. Those that reached mesoamerica1 were able to build civilizations as they could farm and therefore spend time on things other than hunting, gathering, and moving around. There is another theory, though, that some came from Asia while others came from Australia.
Where did they settle?
They all settled in different locations around Mesoamerica. Others went more to the south, crossing Central America and heading into South America to settle on the Brazilian Rainforest, on the Andes Mountains, and other lands that were available. Mesoamerica is divided into five regions:
The Gulf Coast is throughout most of the Mexican state of Veracruz, excluding the southern region which is part of the Maya Region. As the name suggests, it goes along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Important centers there are el Tajín, Cempoala, and Tres Zapotes.The Central Highland is in the center of Mexico, around what is today Mexico City. Tenochtitlan and Teotihuacan are the most famous cities.
The Occident is on the coast to the Pacific Ocean. There were not many civilizations that flourished there, but Tzintzuntzan is an important place there.
In the Oaxaca region, which is located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on the Pacific coast, the cities of Monte Alban and Mitla exist.
The last is the Maya Region which is in the Yucatan Penninsula and the surrounding areas, including the northern part of Central America. There are many ceremonial, cultural, and commercial centers. A few of those are Chichén-Itzá, Uxmal, and Copán.
