Mesoamerican Archaeology

Mesoamerica as a Culture Area

Mesoamerica is a geographic territory that was (and is) inhabited by groups of people who shared many cultural traits. Paul Kirchoff was the first person to define this area and list the traits, mostly a list of material objects that are commonly found in Mesoamerica. Today some archaeologists argue that it is more appropriate to view Mesoamerica as geographic areas that contains groups of people who share certain cultural practices, such as religious beliefs and ceremonial rituals, an economic system, and an agricultural complex (Rosemary Joyce, 2004). Essentially, this is just connecting the cultural materials in Kirchoff's list to the people's behavior. In a way, this is the goal of all Archaeology: to associate the physical artifacts we find with human behavior, and thus doing our part for the social science of Anthropology.
In any case, Mesoamerica's northern frontier is found in Northern Mexico, just north of the Basin of Mexico where Mexico City is located.