The Central Mexico region of Mesoamerica includes the Mexican states of Puebla, Tlaxcala, Morelos, Hidalgo, Mexico and the Federal District of Mexico City (Mexico D.F.).
Geographically, this area is dominated by the Mexican plateau, with its temperate and cold valleys between mountain and volcanic chains. The central portion of this region is occupied by the Valley of Mexico, once covered by numerous lake systems, now almost completely dry and covered by the urban expansion of Mexico City.
Early Occupation
The first occupation of Central Mexico occurred at the end of the Pleistocene, during the Paleoindian period. The most important archaeological evidence for this period and the later Archaic period comes from the Tehuacán Valley, Puebla. Here, archaeological remains such as projectile points, grinding stones, nets and ropes along with the first evidence of plant domestication (squash, chili peppers and avocado seeds) were recovered in El Riego, Coxcatlán and Abejas caves. Research here was conducted by the archaeologist Richard MacNeish. Another important Paleoindian site is Santa Isabel Iztapan, where mammoth bones were found in association with projectile points.
Formative
As in other areas of Mesoamerica, the Formative period in Central Mexico is characterized by the emergence of village life and the widespread of agriculture. Many Central Mexican sites were influenced by the Olmec culture of the Golf Coast. Some sites that show Olmec influence are Tlatlilco, famous for the finding of numerous figurines, and Chalcatzingo, where jade and obsidian objects, as well as stone carvings present Olmec motifs. Another important site for this period is Cuicuilco, an early Formative site, buried in antiquity by a volcanic eruption.
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Teotihuacan and the Classic Period
During the Classic period, after the destruction of Cuicuilco by a volcanic eruption, Teotihuacan (250 AD-ca 750 AD) developed into the most important site of the Basin of Mexico and later in the largest urban center of all Mesoamerica. During its heyday, Teotihuacan seems to have controlled much of the obsidian trade from Central Mexico to the southern regions of Mesoamerica and its architectural models, and artistic motifs dominated large parts of Mesoamerica until its collapse, at around 750 A.D.
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The Epiclassic
After the collapse of Teotihuacan, during the Epiclassic (A.D. 750-900/950 A.D.), many centers arose, but none reached the extension or power of Teotihuacan. These were smaller, independent administrative centers, usually surrounded by defensive walls and ditches, suggesting a high degree of competition among them. The most famous of these are Cacaxtla, Xochitécatl, Xochicalco, Teotenango. Stone carvings, and mural paintings related to warfare and warrior themes dominated in this period and later reached other regions of Mesoamerica as far as Chichén Itzá, in the Maya area, during the Early Postclassic.
The Postclassic and the Aztecs/Mexica
Important central Mexican centers during the Early Postclassic (AD 950-1150) were Tula and Cholula. Tula has been identified by some archaeologists with the mythical Tollan, which was--according to Aztec sources--the capital of the Toltecs. Cholula was an important ritual and pigrimage center in the Basin of Mexico, famous for its great pyramid.
In the 12th century, groups of northern, nomadic tribes –called Chichimecs--arrived in Central Mexico in multiple waves, and settled along the lakes Texcoco, Chalco and Xochimilco. Important centers such as Azcapozalco and Texcoco arose. The last of these groups to arrive in the Basin of Mexico were the Mexica or Aztecs in the 13th century.
The last centuries of the Postclassic period (AD 1350-1520) are characterized by the expansion of the Mexica/Aztecs first in the Basin of Mexico, where they founded their capital, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, in 1325, and then in all Mesoamerica. In 1430 they established the Triple Alliance becoming allies of the cities of Texcoco and Tlacopan. From this moment on, the Mexica became the most powerful groups in the Basin of Mexico and in Mesoamerica, until the arrival of the Europeans who ended their domination and destroyed their capital in 1521.
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Important Sites in Central Mexico
Important sites of Central Mexico are: Teotihuacan, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Cholula, Tlaxcala, Tula, Teotenango, Cuicuilco, Tlatilco, Tenayuca, Santa Isabel Iztapan, Otumba, Teopanzolco, Malinalco
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to the Ancient Mesoamerica.
Carrasco Davíd (ed.), 2001, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures, Oxford University Press.
Manzanilla Linda and Leonardo Lopez Lujan (eds.), 2001 [1995], Historia Antigua de Mexico, Miguel Angel Porrúa, Mexico City.