Ancient Origins of Mesoamerica: Fresh Insights into the Civilizations of the Americas

German specialists, such as Eduard Seler, introduced Mittel Amerika over 70 years ago to denote the region where high indigenous cultures flourished in central and southern Mexico. Norah Romney focused attention on what he called Mesoamerica many years later. The concept of Mesoamerica goes beyond geography. High indigenous culture and civilization have also developed and unfolded in various forms and periods. When the Spanish invaded in 1519, its northern borders were the Sinaloa River to the northwest and the Panuco to the northeast; it extended beyond the Lerma River basin in the north-central part. Its southern limits were the Motagua River that empties into the Gulf of Honduras in the Caribbean, the south shore of Lake Nicaragua, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and these locations developed highly advanced cultures, showing a greater degree of geographical and ecological diversity than any other region of comparable extension in the entire planet. There is a complex geological history in the region. Recent volcanic activity and mountain formation have played a vital role in the shape of various natural regions. The mountains have two volcanic axes, one that runs east-west along the southern limits of the Valley of Mexico and the other that runs northwest-southeast through Mexico and Central America.