Research Guides: Ancient Civilizations: Americas

Peoples

Olmec: Topic Page
The culture of ancient Mexican natives inhabiting the tropical coastal plain of the contemporary states of Veracruz and Tabasco, between 1300 and 400 B.C. MORE
Zapotec: Topic Page
Indigenous people of Mexico, primarily in S Oaxaca and on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. MORE
Maya civilization: Topic Page
One of the great cultures of mesoamerica, Maya civilization extended throughout southern mexico and northern Central America. MORE
Aztec: Topic Page
Member of an American Indian people who migrated south into the valley of Mexico in about 1168. MORE
Inca: Topic Page
Pre-Columbian empire, W South America. MORE
Pre-Columbian Civilizations
From Africa and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History
Despite some technological limitations, a few Native American civilizations had achieved a high level of development before the arrival of European explorers. MORE
Mound Builders: Topic Page
Name given to those people who built mounds in a large area from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mts. MORE

Books

Encyclopedia of North American Indians, Houghton Mifflin
Written by contemporary authorities, the volume features many Native American contributors - including eminent writers, tribal elders, scholars, and activists - with voices as distinct as their subjects, offering a deeper and more informed appreciation of American Indian life, past and present.
Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture
Presents a processual view of Mexican history, society and culture from ancient civilizations to the present day.
Canada's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook
In this comprehensive reference, Historian J.M. Bumsted takes readers on a chronological tour of Canada's ethnic history.

Publisher Collection Titles

Please note: Publisher Collections are not part of Credo General Reference collections. Your library may not have access, please check your subscription.

World Mythology: Handbook of Native American Mythology
Popular Hopi kachina dolls and awesome totem poles are but two of the aspects of the sophisticated, seldom-examined network of mythologies explored in this fascinating volume.
World Mythology: Handbook of Inca Mythology
The first introduction to the Incas and their myths aimed at students and general readers, bringing together a wealth of information into one convenient resource.

Culture

Native American Agriculture
From Encyclopedia of North American Indians
Before the Christian era many Indian cultural groups of North America cultivated plants of Mesoamerican and indigenous origin. By a.d. 1000 corn (maize), beans, and squash were their most important cultivated food plants.
Native American Architecture
From Encyclopedia of North American Indians
Indian architectural traditions reflected the diversity of tribal economic patterns, social organizations, historical experiences, religious systems, and worldviews.
Mesoamerican Religion
From Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture
Important Mesoamerican religious themes: cosmic topography, power-filled inhabitants, calendrically determined transformation, and sacrifice.
Mayan Literature
From Concise Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature
The Maya were the only people of America's high cultures who developed a glyph-writ language (a partly ideographic, partly phonetic mode of writing) capable of recording events.
Quipu
From Iberia and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History
Quipu is an Andean mnemonic device consisting of primary and secondary cords (spun of llama or alpaca wool) of various colors on which are several types of variously spaced knots.

Places

Mesoamerica
From Encyclopedia of Archaeology: History and Discoveries
Coined in 1943 by the scholar Paul Kirchoff, the name Mesoamerica is used to describe the culture area of the ancient civilizations of central and southern Mexico and northern Central America.
Teotihuacán: Topic Page
Ancient commercial and religious center in the central valley of Mexico. The largest (c.7 sq mi/18.1 sq km) and most impressive urban site of ancient America. MORE
Palenque
From Encyclopedia of Archaeology: History and Discoveries
Palenque is a classic Maya site and kingdom in the southern state of Chiapas in Mexico.
Machu Picchu: Topic Page
Inca site in Peru. The imposing city is one of the largest pre-Columbian sites found virtually intact.
Cahokia
From Encyclopedia of North American Indians
Cahokia was a major Mississippian urban center. Occupied between about AD 700 and AD 1250, the core of the site covered more than two hundred acres and was surrounded by a wooden palisade containing in excess of twenty thousand logs.
Serpent Mound
From Encyclopedia of North American Indians
The largest known serpent effigy in the world, Great Serpent Mound is located in rural Ohio. The mound's form is of an undulating serpent, uncoiling and opening its mouth to swallow a large oval.