Interamericana

American Beauty

Frederick Catherwood was the first 19th century artist to record the splendours of some of the most inaccessible Central American ruins. His images, published in books that changed the way academics viewed the region’s indigenous peoples, were created under appalling conditions. They remain some of the most vibrant and beautiful illustrations of the ancient Mexican world ever rendered…

From Savagery to Civilisation: The Rise of the Aztecs

The Aztec transformation from humble nomadic warriors into one of Mesoamerica’s most complex civilisations is a story as fantastic as it is legendary. This comprehensive feature explores traces the rise of Mexico’s last great imperial force.

Palenque: Secret City of the Maya

Dense, exuberant rainforest shrouds this immense metropolis, abandoned for unknown reasons over a millennia ago. A sense of the lost, grandiose world of the ancient Mayans lingers in this city’s ruined plazas. Palenque is a testament to Mesoamerican civilisation at its height.

Ancient Mexico Slide Show

The darkly beautiful world of ancient Mexico was dominated by a complex pantheon of gods who presided over all facets of human existence. Feathered snakes, were-jaguars and serpent-skirted goddesses are all depicted in this collection.

Palenque Slide Show

A collection of images gathered in the early morning light of Palenque ruins, southern Mexico. This quintessential site features both heavily restored monumental architecture – pyramids, temples and observatories – and far less coherent structures barely recovered from the rainforest environs.

Naked Protests in Mexico City

Emerging onto the Paseo Reforma after a late breakfast, I walked into a spirited and rather unusual protest. A band of disgruntled farmers from Veracruz had taken to the streets in an on-going feud with the Mexican government – stark naked. This is direct action at its best.

Late Formative, 400BC-200AD

As Chalcatzingo, La Venta and other Middle Formative polities collapsed during the last two centuries BC, the vast metropolises of Cuicuilco and Teotihuacán – both located in Central Mexico – emerged as dominant centres of Mesoamerican power. Both had huge temple complexes and buildings of truly monumental proportions. In the first century AD, Cuicuilco was [...]

The Middle Formative, 1200BC-400BC

The Middle Formative era of Mesoamerican development was dominated by the Olmec. The Olmec constructed the most advanced and powerful polities of their time, although relatively little is known of these ingenious and mysterious people. They are generally attributed with developing the first Mesoamerican calendars, as well as written glyphs. They spoke a Mixe-Zoquean language [...]

The Early Formative, 2000BC-1200BC

At the dawn of the Formative era, 2000BC, the evolution of teosinte to maize was complete, ushering in a new era of sedentism. Teosinte is the ancestor of maize and bears tiny, edible fruits. Over thousands of years, the early hunter-gatherers of Mesoamerica selectively bred the most productive teosinte plants until they were large enough [...]

The Formative Era in Ancient Mesoamerica, 2000BC – 200AD

The Formative period in ancient Mesoamerican history, also known as the Pre-Classic era, sees the establishment of all the key socio-political structures, symbols, technologies and religious ideas that define the subsequent ages of the Mesoamerican tradition. In essence, Mesoamerica defines itself. Scholars have divided it into 3 distinct (if unimaginatively titled) phases:

The early Formative (2000BC-1200BC)
The [...]