Excuse me if this is irritating,  I am new so if it is please forgive me.

Which do you think was the most powerful Meso American culture?(As far as conquering)

I would have to say the Inca,  basically because of their use of bronze weapons,  and their advanced abilities with forts(it is said that some of their fortifications resembled star forts of the 17th and 18th century).  They also happened to have one of the best logistics systems that the world has ever seen.

Incas weren't really Meso American, but rather South American.

My vote goes for the Toltecs. Although the extent of their empire is unsure, influence of them has been from Maya territory all the way to parts of the US.

Hey, I was going to say Toltecs first...j/k

Aztecs are pretty cool as well.  Their calenders were the most accurate until recently.

Aztecs had amazing and very fierce warriors, some of the fiercest in the world.  But from my little knowledge of Aztec history, I believe they were somewhat disunited.

They were amazing fighters though.  A Spanish officer wrote of them, "I do not know how I can write this so calmly, because some three or four soldiers who were in Italy, who were there with us, swore many times to God, that they had never seen such ferocious fighting, like those that were found between Christians and against the artillery of the King of France, or of the Great Turk; nor men like those Indians, with so much courage in closing their rank…"

(Yes, I got that from a Rise of Nations article)

Heh.......sorry I was mistaken with the Incas(I know they live in South America)  I thought the term Meso American meant Mexico central and south america. 

I would have to say the Aztecs,  At their peak they were probably more powerful than the Toltecs at their peak,  their weapons,  while ,made out of the same materials were more advanced than Toltec weapons.

Culturally, and perhaps lingiustically it was the Maya

It was Mayan calendars and astronomy that was truly advanced, and that knowledge was later exported to others.

I think Cywr is right.  I remember attending a lecture where they theorized just that - that it wasn't practical because of the steep grade.  Even today, there are areas where even with improved roads, its still rather impractical to get a wheeled transport up and down the mountains.

I'll see if I can find any of the notes from that lecture. 

Any of you guys notice that all the countries that had great ancient civilizations are today relatively poor nations?

Egypt - Ancient Egypt

Greece - Ancient Greece, Minoa

Tunisia - Carthage

China - China, Tibet

India - Indus Valley civilization, Mauryan Empire, whatever else

Mexico - Aztec civilization

Hundouras - Mayan Empire

Peru - Incan civilization

Armenia - Armenian Empire

Georgia - Georgian Kingdom

Italy - (well, compared to some European nations) Rome, Eturia, Magna Grecia(?)

Iran - Elam, Persia, Parthia, Sassanian Persia

I mean, wow, did any of you guys actually notice this?

Africa was MUCH better off befoer the Europeans came,  The argument that they were living on the dark before is BS.  Zimbabwe, Mali, Ghana, Kongo, where all organized kingdoms and Mali was arguable the wealthiest kingdom of the 15th century.  What the slave trade did was rob a continent of over 200,000,000 inhabitants and make the economies dependent on exportation.

Although Europe and African slave traders cant take all the blame, Morrocco also destroyed large libraries containing masses of knowledge and cities were lost in the Sudan.

Also, in response to Darios point, I think the higher you rise the harder you fall, everyone has a time in the sun, America was once a farming backwater, now a world superpower, and in the future it wont be number 1 power anymore.

Yeah,  200 million people seems to be a stretch

About 90% of all countries may be considered poor, so it quite logical that many countries that had great civilizations are.

Hi!

I'll go for Teotihuacan. I remember a Nigel Davies book from years ago pointing more Teotihuacan architectual influence, trade goods, art and artifacts can be found around Mexico than any other culture. Also they most famous thing worldwide Mexico has ever produced is the Pyramid of the Sun.

I like the Incan Empire, even though they don't count/

Im guessing you dont know anythign about mesoamerican culture, most people that write off others as priitives usually do so out of ignorance.  No one had as accurate astronomy as the Mayans, or as flouishing architecture as the Aztecs, Mayans etc, whose buildings stand during earthquakes while the modern buildings collapse.  Over half the foos eaten in the worlds today by anyone around the world is likely to be from nativ american agriculture, and even the Un and US have strong native american influences in their governemnt structures.

well columbus didnt know it was a new continent, he thought he was in India or soemthing, so maybe he meant the Khan as in descendant of Kublai khan as the last reliable information on teh east to him was marco polos travels so he did not know the yuan dynasty had fallen

I have vague memories about Diaz saying something about one of the mainland chiefs of Tabasco being the brother of one of the Carribean island chiefs. But it's a long time since I read it and I may be wrong.

Many people have suggested that Aztec and Inca goods may have made it to each other through merchants, trading on to other merchants and so on. Similarly to the way China and Rome traded with little knowledge of each other.

*Methinks Jalisco could do a better job of this.

Actually its amazing the mesoamericans were conquered by so few spanish and so little resistance. The metal armor was great in battle but not nearly invincible, nor could they wear it all of the time so an ambush would be deadly. Also the guns weren't the spaniards weapons of choice, too often would they break down and plus the reload time was horrendous. Their deadliest weapons were their swords, which could cut through flesh like butter.

The mesoamericans on the other hand were far from spears and loin-cloths, They had a nasty obsidian sword which would just rend flesh and smash bones. Also their fighting styles were totally different the spaniards fought to kill but the mesoamericans fought to capture slaves for human sacrifices.