LISS.398A TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT and HUMAN ADAPTATION:
PART II PRE-EUROPEAN
MESOAMERICA
VALLEY OF OAXACA: MONTE ALBAN IV (750 - 1000 A. D.) -V (1000 - 1520 A.D.)
Beginning about 750 A. D., the Valley of Oaxaca participates in a pan Mesoamerican socio-political restructuring -- sometimes (possibly
misleadingly) referred to as the collapse of classic Mesoamerican civilization. Roughly what appears to have happened is this.
Certain urban centers such as
Teothihuacán
in the
Valley of Mexico,
Tikal
in the
eastern lowlands
and
Monte Albán
which had played a dominant , centralizing (though not completely isomorphic) political role in their respective
region rather suddenly (over 1-200 years) ceased to play that role. Ultimately (by European contact in the 16th century) what replaces
these centralized regional systems varies with the region, but initially the result appears to have been decentralization and political
fragmentation in all cases.
What caused this socio-political restructuring is among the most problematic and heatedly discussed issues in Mesoamerican prehistory.
Most explanations that have been offered consist of combinations of possible causal factors such as climate change, anthropogenic
environmental degradation, disease, warfare, and social revolution. For now, we will just describe what appears to happen in the
Valley of Oaxaca.
As we move on to consider other regions, we will give more detailed consideration to some of these explanations.
This period (750 -1520 A.D.) falls mostly within the Post Classic Period.
in the overall
Mesoamerican developmental chronology. It is sometimes called the city-state stage because of predominance of small city-
states, rather than large urban centers, in the political landscape.
In the
Valley of Oaxaca regional chronology
this corresponds to the Monte Alba´n IV (750 - 1000 A.D.) and V (1000 - 1520 A.D.) phases.
Developments associated with the pan-Mesoamerican restructuring were reflected initially in a decline and significant change in the
distribution of
population
In the Valley of Oaxaca during Monte Albán IV. By Monte Albán V population growth resumes and areas abandoned
during IV are reoccupied. These same pan-Mesoamerican developments were reflected in profound changes in the nature of
social integration
both within the Valley of Oaxaca and in its external relations. Less profound, but significant changes were evident in
social complexity.
QUESTIONS
As you look at the material for this session, keep these questions in mind:
- Is there a plausible explanation for the IV-V socio-political reorganization solely in terms of factors local to the
Valley of Oaxaca?
- What does the IV- V abandonment of public areas at
Monte Albán
suggest about their role in earlier periods?
- What is might explain the population surge in V?
- What would have happened after V in the absence of European contact?
Unless otherwise indicated, this discussion is based on material drawn from:
Blanton et. al ‘82 ,
Kowalewski, et. al. ‘89,
Blanton, et. al. ‘93.
Colorado School of Mines
Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies
Dr. Joseph D. Sneed
jsneed@mines.edu
