Complex of aboriginal cultures that developed in parts of Mexico and Central America before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. This civilization and the Andean civilization in South America constituted a New World counterpart to those of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. Humans have been present in Mesoamerica from as early as 21,000 &BC;; a shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture, which began &circa; 7000 &BC; as the climate warmed with the end of the Ice Age, was completed by &circa; 1500 &BC;.
The earliest great Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmec, dates to &circa; 1150 &BC;. The Middle Formative period (900–300 &BC;) was a time of increased cultural regionalism and the rise of the Zapotec people. Civilizations of the Late Formative and Classic periods (lasting until &circa; &AD; 900) include the Maya and the civilization centred at Teotihuacán; later societies include the Toltec and the Aztec. &Seealso; Chichén Itzá; Mixtec; Monte Albán; Nahua; Nahuatl language; Tenochtitlán; Tikal.
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