Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Natives, Middle American or Mesoamerican, aboriginal peoples living in the area between present-day United States and South America. Although most of Mexico is geographically considered part of North ...

(Encyclopedia) Quetzalcoatl kĕtˌsälkôätˈəl [key] [Nahuatl,=feathered serpent], ancient deity and legendary ruler of the Toltec in Mexico. The name is also that of a Toltec ruler, who is credited with the disc...

(Encyclopedia) Chichicastenango chēˌchēkästānängˈgō [key], town, SW Guatemala. In the heart of the highlands, Chichicastenango was a trading town in ancient times. It became the spiritual center of the Quich...

(Encyclopedia) Tuxtla Gutiérrez to͞osˈtlä go͞otyārˈrās [key] or Tuxtla, city (1990 pop. 289,626), capital of Chiapas state, SE Mexico, in the fertile Grijalva valley and at the foot of the Chiapas highlands....

(Encyclopedia) Davies, Arthur Bowen dāˈvĭs, –vēz [key], 1862–1928, American painter and lithographer, b. Utica, N.Y., studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League, New York City. In 18...

(Encyclopedia) Toltec tŏlˈtĕk [key], ancient civilization of Mexico. The name in Nahuatl means “master builders.” The Toltec formed a warrior aristocracy that gained ascendancy in the Valley of Mexico c.a.d. ...

(Encyclopedia) Campeche kämpāˈchā [key], state, 21,924 sq mi (56,798 sq km), SE Mexico, on the Gulf of C...

(Encyclopedia) Chorotega chōrōtāˈgä [key], aboriginal people and language group of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Little is known of the Chorotega, primarily beause of the absence of extensive ruins. Cont...

(Encyclopedia) Huastec wäsˈtĕk [key], indigenous people of the Pánuco River basin, E Mexico. They speak a Mayan language but are isolated from the rest of the Mayan stock, from whom they may have been separated ...

(Encyclopedia) Cozumel kōzəˈmel [key], resort island, c.190 sq mi (490 sq km), Quintana Roo state, Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea off the E coast of the Yucatán peninsula. It is famed for its beaches and coral ree...