The term Mesoamerica is used to describe a region that includes the majority of Mexico, as well as Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and Honduras. Although there are a number of distinct groups, each having its own unique language and ethnicity, there is a great deal of cultural homogeneity. Across the entire region they grew corn, built pyramids, used the same government structure and 365 day calendar construction, and worshipped the same gods and goddesses. Perhaps the best example of this commonality is the god Quetzalcoatl, represented by the feathered serpent, whose impact is seen extensively throughout the region.

Among the many native cultures that thrived throughout Mesoamerica, six are thought to have been the most influential. They are the Olmecs, the Teotihuacans, the Toltecs, the Mayans, the Mixtec and Zapotec, and the Aztecs.

A large amount of what is known about these great civilizations has been obtained from investigation of the numerous archaeological sites that exist in the region, despite the fact that many of their descendants continue to live in the region today. This is a result of the Spanish effort to destroy indigenous culture and belief, and install Catholicism in its place that began with the conquest of the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan in 1521. Some of the more famous sites include Tula, the Toltec capital, Mayan sites at Chichen Itza, Tikal, and Palenque, and the mammoth and enigmatic Teotihuacan, “The City where men become Gods.”

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