ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the evidence for the emergence of social complexity and urbanism in Mesoamerica. The complex societies of Mesoamerica expand our understanding of urbanism and the institutions that underlie both cities and empires. The chapter takes a more in-depth look at both the urban center of Teotihuacan and the Maya cities. In Mesoamerica, the city of Teotihuacan, although very different from the cities of the Indus Valley, might also be best understood in the context of corporate strategy, or even as the emergence of a corporate strategy in response to the excesses of hierarchical rulers. The decipherment of Maya hieroglyphics has afforded spectacular insight into the detailed history of the early cities. Evidence for agricultural intensification in the periods leading up to the Maya collapse includes terrace systems and basins used for irrigation. Archaeology has also extended our understanding of the Aztec Empire by uncovering evidence of the lives of the people living in areas beyond Tenochtitlan.
