(In Pics) Lesser Known Ruins of Central America

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Central America has always been a dynamic mix of cultures. The fertile valleys and plains from Mexico to Panama have seen many civilizations rise and fall, some more mysterious than the others but each leaving behind their cultural and architectural stamp on the landscape.

Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican history from the perspective of today is dominated by the Aztecs and, further to the south, the Maya, but in truth these were just the last in a long line of cultures who interacted, fought and traded, lived and died alongside each other. Many of the ruins which litter than central American landscape come from these lesser known civilizations.

Here are the ruins and artifacts of some of the more obscure cultures of central America.

1. Olmec

*From a cultural standpoint the* *Olmec* *are the granddaddies of them all, dating back to at least 800 BC. Found in southern* *Mexico*, they are most famous today for their enormous stone heads they carved amidst the jungle. These are not just abstract carvings however: the variety and verisimilitude show that these were real portraits of real rulers and officials, executed on a massive scale (Ral / Adobe Stock)

2. Toltecs

*The Aztec thought the* *Toltecs* were so cool that they based their entire ethos around this precursor culture, to the point where Aztec mythology raised the Toltec kings to the status of demigods. The Toltecs themselves were centered around the archaeological site of Tula, in Hidalgo in Mexico, pictured above, but Aztec mythologizing means we cannot be sure about almost anything with regards to these people. It might all be true; it might all be made up (AlejandroLinaresGarcia / *CC BY-SA 3.0*)

3. Mesoamericans of Teotihuacan

*Teotihuacan*, with its two enormous pyramids and host of other plazas around its grand Avenue of the Dead, is perhaps the most famous and recognizable archaeological site in the entirety of Central America. However the people who built the grand city, who lived there and who abandoned it are so obscure that we do not even know their name. Much of the civilization of Teotihuacan remains obscure, but we do know that their influence spread throughout Mesoamerica and it is possible that one of the extant groups who survive in Mexico built these pyramids, having since forgotten their history (Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata / *CC BY-SA 4.0*)

4. Otomi

*A prime candidate for the lost people who built Teotihuacan are the* *Otomi* (other suggestions include the Nahua Aztecs or the Totonac). These people spread to form a series of loosely connected population centers across the entirety of central Mexico, and the presence in the region can be traced back thousands of years into pre-history. Verified Otomi ruins are scarce indeed and are comparatively poorly understood compared to other civilizations, but the Otomi themselves endure to this day: a 2015 census returned some 670,000 Otomi living in Mexico (*Jessica* */ Adobe Stock)*

5. Zapotec

*The* *Zapotec* flourished in Mesoamerica from around 500 BC right up until the arrival of the Spanish, after which they were wiped out in short order. Centered in the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico, they left behind monumental architecture and elaborate tombs filled with intricate grave goods. Their central city of Monte Albán was one of the first large cities in all of Central America (*Bernd Jürgens* */ Adobe Stock)*

6. Copan Ruinas

*Copan Ruinas, on the border between* *Honduras* *and Guatemala, is strictly a* *Maya* *ruin, but it merits inclusion on this list because of the influences of the less well understood Mesoamerican cultures which surrounded it. While the pyramids of Chichen Itza and* *Tikal* *may be more famous (and the latter instantly recognizable to many as the moon of Yavin IV from* Star Wars) Copan Ruinas has some of the best preserved monolithic statues and carved Mayan reliefs in the entire of the Americas, and appears to show the influence of other, unknown cultures in its architecture (*Jordan* */ Adobe Stock)*

Top Image: Monolithic head of an old man in the ruins of Copan Ruinas, Honduras, Central America. Source: Raquelmogado / Adobe Stock.

By Joseph Green

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Joseph Green

Joseph Green is editor for Historic Mysteries, which combines his background in English Literature with a lifelong fascination for the strange and the unexplained. Read More