Oasisamérica was made up of agricultural groups with a fairly complex social and cultural structure, therein lies the importance of having a basic knowledge of the subject. That is why we will take care of providing you with all the necessary information about the Characteristics of Oasisamerica, its definition and much more.
What is Oasisamerica?
It is a cultural and geographical area, corresponding to the pre-Columbian period of North America and located within a larger region, which is called Aridoamérica. This covered territories that range from what is currently the state of Utah to the United Mexican States.
The term Aridoamérica comes from the common use of many anthropologists, mostly Aztecs, in their research. In fact, it was Paul Kirchhoff, a German anthropologist, ethnologist and philosopher of Mexican nationality, who was the first to use this concept to name this bloc of Mexico and surrounding regions.
The main objective of the term was to distinguish it from what Americans call "Southwest Cultures", a perception adopted by the country for Central America. After that, little by little the expression "Oasisamerica" gained fame in order to highlight the difference between both areas, because as a result of a large amount of research, it was possible to conclude that each one had very specific characteristics that should be taken into account. consideration.
Regarding its origin, it dates back to 500 BC, which implies that the civilization was created approximately 2 years after the division of Aridoamerica and Mesoamerica. However, it is important to highlight that, despite the fact that they emerged at different times, the Oasis-American population did manage to establish some contact with that of Mesoamerica, since the population displacements occurred in the year 200.
For its part, due to population growth, a large part of the inhabitants of Mesoamerica made the decision to migrate north. In this way, it was that the economic and commercial strengthening in various areas was raised. For this reason, it is sometimes considered as the intermediate lands between the nomads settled in the northern desert and the extraordinary Mesoamerican cultures.
In order to establish themselves and leave nomadism in the past, the inhabitants of Oasisamérica began to implement farming methods from other latitudes and the irrigation of the Gila and Asunción Rivers in their daily lives. The tribes that constituted this region were varied, they could be broken down into five types; Anasazi, Fremont, Hohokam, Pataya and Mogollon. Each of them had their own homes, beliefs, agricultural systems, ceramic production, etc.
Characteristics of Oasisamerica
As a consequence of its great importance for later American cultures, we could emphasize that the Oasis-American civilization had an infinity of characteristics that represented it and distinguished it from many others. Therefore, it is essential to have knowledge about it. Among its most outstanding features are:
Location
Currently, the world is divided into what we all know as continents, however, this was not always the case. For the pre-Columbian period there was no such conception, and the different territorial spaces were established by their own inhabitants, without any problem. Therefore, once we have already mentioned this relevant point, we can proceed to indicate the specific location of this cultural region.
Oasisamerica was located in what is now known as the southwestern United States and much of northwestern Mexico. To be more precise, in the United States the surface includes the following states; Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, and Colorado. As far as Mexico is concerned, the states of Sonora, Chihuahua and Baja California were occupied in the country. Despite this, as happened in Aridoamérica, the borders and borders were not strictly defined.
Relief
In general, almost all the space where Oasisamérica was located was remarkably dry. In it, landscapes composed of rocky mountains stand out, such as the Sierra Madre Occidental, which even today includes all of western Mexico and the southwestern end of the United States. This mountain range covers around 289.000 km², which implies the approach of a sixth of the entire United Mexican States.
The highest points that we can achieve have a measurement close to 3 thousand meters above sea level and even much more. On the other hand, its extension revolves around 150 kilometers. Additionally, gigantic arid plains are located on the sides of these vast rock formations, as is the case of the deserts found in Chihuahua and Sonora. Such is its magnitude, that the latter is considered the largest in North America and the second longest in the entire continent.
Climate
The climate of Oasisamérica, or at least of a good fraction of its territory, is semi-arid and, therefore, very hot. Mainly in its valleys, very dry steppe climates can be found. For this reason, in this geographical area there are no rainy seasons. Annual rainfall is really low, which leads to deficiencies in terms of vegetation. Those that grow there have an extraordinary level of adaptation to the climatic conditions that are presented to them, otherwise they could not survive.
However, we also get within the territory spaces in which it tends to rain more. In them the rains are more common because of their proximity to various streams, promoting better results in agriculture and a more pleasant climate. If we make comparisons, the climatological qualities of Oasisamérica are more favorable than those of neighboring lands, such as Aridoamérica.
Hydrography
As we mentioned in the previous point, despite the fact that usually all the soils that were part of Oasisamérica were quite arid and infertile, ironically there were a significant amount of water currents in its surroundings. These served as support so that the inhabitants could put agriculture into practice as a method of survival and to increase local economic transactions.
Oasisamerica was crossed by truly enormous rivers, such as; the Bravo, Yaqui, Colorado, Gila and Casas Grandes, in addition to small lagoons that, drop by drop, dried up over time. Although not all activities were directly related to this characteristic, hydrography did have a considerable impact on the development and living conditions of the different tribes living in the region.
Agriculture
With the help of the oasis, just as its name indicates, the inhabitants of Oasisamérica tried to take advantage of their land. This is because, although the climate was not conducive to large fruits and crops, a good part of them were fertile thanks to the rivers that surrounded them. Unlike the adjacent deserts, the American Oasis residents managed to become farmers with much effort and dedication, only that as a consequence of the climatic conditions that we mentioned, the practice was not as fruitful as expected.
For this reason, tribal chiefs often had to resort to hunting and gathering techniques in order to survive. The environmental circumstances allowed the process of introduction to agriculture in the area to be gradual and relaxed. The locals, as time passed, gradually acquired agricultural knowledge. It should be noted that it is presumed that the Mesoamerican people were the ones who provided the Oasisamericans with the criteria used in agriculture at that time.
Economy
The local civilizations adopted a fully subsistence economy, which, supported by agriculture, contributed to several settlements of great importance. It is known about it, since in the present they operate as archaeological sites. Historians have concluded that adobe, weaving, pottery, and other skills were used regularly.
As a consequence of the increase in production, the exchange of products was frequently facilitated, and also the increase in the development of artillery that worked to fight with other nomadic peoples of the desert. Added to this is the fact that it was a land rich in geological deposits, mainly turquoise. During that period and even to date, this bluish-green class 8 mineral was a material of great value to the cultures that were in the vicinity.
Such was its relevance in the population, that transactions with turquoise made it possible to establish a close economic relationship between the Mesoamerican culture and the Oasisamerican culture. For those who do not know, this is a gemstone with some opacity but at the same time brilliance, which has a slight similarity to glass due to its lack of hardness. It is usually found in deposits within three different types of stones; volcanic, sedimentary and sandy.
Food
Even though oasis-american agriculture was vital for the establishment of its culture, it did not represent any significant change in the quality of life of its inhabitants, in contrast to the Mesoamerican area where such a change did exist. There simply could not have been a full bloom of activity, and the villagers found it necessary to supplement their nutrition by gathering and hunting, when bartering did not take place.
The most essential food in Oasisamerica was corn, since the harvest occurred once a year and all this, thanks to the secondary irrigation of the enormous rivers, could sometimes be done over thirty kilometers. Similarly, there are other fairly common and popular foods such as mesquite and pitahaya, from which other products such as flour, liquor and less frequently could be obtained. Some roots and insects were also included in their diet for greater nutrient absorption.
Clothing
The clothing of the American oasis was characterized by being similar to that of other cultures belonging to the pre-Columbian period. That is to say, it was basically made up of masks, simple sandals and small decorative bands that were placed on the forehead. Each of the garments was made with animal skin and were intended to protect them from their walks and daily work.
For their part, tribal women used to always wear capes in order to protect their babies; in addition to shirts, headscarves and types of aprons or aprons that had to be tied around the waist and passed through the crotch on the days that menstruation came. Likewise, they made use of highly ornate objects to complement their clothing, such as; necklaces, bracelets, pectorals, among others. Despite this, on some occasions these ornaments were indicators of the hierarchy they fulfilled within society.
Religion
Various anthropologists assure that due to its close commercial relationship, Oasisamérica shares many manifestations of a religious nature with the Mesoamerican people. So that such an assertion can be better understood, we will now explain the most important ones over the years. These are:
Ball game
According to research related to the social construction of the Oasis-American culture, the ball game was one of the recreational structures with the most ceremonial features that can be found in pre-Columbian times. Despite the fact that it was usually played in everyday life, in the same way, it represented a ritual of great significance for the entire society.
In fact, on some occasions it was used so that members of the community could solve their problems. In general, the court was located in a kind of pit, in order to represent a world below the earth, or also called the underworld. Regarding the transfer of the ball, this was done through blows, given both with the knees, as well as with the elbows and the hip.
Historians who have been commissioned to carry out studies on this subject allege that civilization played by giving the circle sacred attributes and usually associating it with the largest star in the Solar System, the Sun. To a lesser extent, it was also linked to the rotation of other sacred celestial bodies such as the Moon and Venus. Every time the ball fell to the ground it would be taken as a malevolent signal, for this reason, the participants tried to prevent this from happening at all costs.
There are two versions about what happened to that player who was the winner: the first was that once the game was over the winner would be eternally protected by the gods, the second story related that the winning individual had to be sacrificed. In either case, the nature of the game was exactly the same, since its main purpose was to reflect the existing dispute between Huitzilopochtli, god of the Sun, and his sister Metztli, the goddess of the Moon. After that, the next morning the day should be sunny.
Ceremonies with Macaws
In Oasisamérica, all the inhabitants considered the macaws as sacred animals, since they were one of the many ways in which Huitzilopochtli manifested itself. However, in the Mesoamerican region there was a domestication of the species with the aim of using them in the rituals that were done to the Sun. Later, the Oasis American people also began to implement this practice in their liturgy. For this reason, archaeologists have been able to find a good amount of fossil remains of these birds in its ruins.
worship of deities
The various social groups that made up the Oasis-American civilization had quite varied beliefs, however, they did not share the same cult of certain deities related to nature or fertility, for example. In the American Southwest, natives paid tribute to Kachinas, ancient spirits or personifications that conceptualize the elements that exist in the natural world.
Among them, the Hopi, the Tiwa, the Acoma, the Zuñi and the Laguna stand out; each of them associated with hunting, rain, crops, among other things. Another of the most important divinities in Oasisamerica was the emblematic god Quetzalcoatl, who was constantly worshiped and tended to be the center of attention in all ceremonies. In Spanish, Quetzalcoatl basically means "feathered serpent," the name by which this deity is sometimes known.
Although we are mainly focusing on the American oasis region, this was fundamental for most of the ancient pre-Hispanic civilizations. The term arises as a result of the union of elements that the pre-Hispanic society contemplated in itself. The feathered serpent is the clear reflection of the masculine and feminine essence from the perspective of creation, as well as the symbol of life, wisdom, light, knowledge and fertility.
Flora
Vegetation in the arid zones of North America has always been xerophytic, and specially adapted to live in a dry environment, they do not require water to survive, since they have the ability to store liquids in their tissues by themselves.
This is rich in cacti, agaves and seasonal bushes, and in some parts where water abounds thanks to the rivers, there are really lush and quite tall forests. All the flora found in the territory indirectly seeks to compete with each other for access to the various water currents.
Among the most common and well-known vegetation we find the Biznaga, a meter-high cactus that sprouts small yellow flowers during spring. Being a cactus plant, it does not require large amounts of water to be able to live and its growth is very late. We also find the Beavertail Cactus, another cactus plant but with purple flowers that bloom in the spring and summer seasons. They are generally located in the Mojave, Colorado desert, and northwestern Mexico.
Likewise, the Arizona Poppies, the Ghost Flower and the Ocotillo Flowers are added to the previous ones. The first has four petals* and is yellow with orange, and tends to bloom between late summer and early fall; the second, the Mohavea confertiflora, is entirely white except for a few tiny pink or purple petals in the center*; and the most native flower of the American Southwest and the Mexican North, which is only able to prosper in the rainy seasons and is of an intense red color.
Fauna
Within its fauna, many animals can be highlighted, such as the turtles that inhabit the entire Oasis-American territory and normally fed on insects, worms, and plants. They used to hide all the time, except when they come out during the first hours of the day or on those rainy days.
In addition, we could find buffalo or also known as American bison, which inhabited a large part of the southeastern United States and the north of the Mexican Republic. Due to the severe climatic conditions in the region, and the impossibility of growing their food throughout the year, the natives found it necessary to hunt this animal to the point of almost making it extinct in the area. Those that could be observed weighed about 1100 kilograms and measured about 1,50 meters, with dark brown fur.
At that time and even now, the Giant Hairy Scorpion or Yellow Desert Scorpion was seen in each of the deserts, an animal that reaches an approximate size of 15 centimeters, making it the largest scorpion in North America.
It is quite lethal for children or people who suffer from allergies, in adults it does not cause the same effect but it does cause a very strong and prolonged pain. Its color is a mustard yellow tone with a black or light brown back, it feeds mostly at night and tends to be spiders, lizards or other similar and smaller specimens. Additionally, in the oasis-american fauna you can find desert rats or kangaroo rats, measuring around 13 centimeters and with orange-brown fur, long legs and tiny, rounded ears.
They live in burrows and, regardless of whether it is day or night, they keep looking for food to survive and are capable of spending entire months without drinking water. Lastly, we could mention the buzzards or American black vultures, very characteristic birds of the American/Mexican desert areas that feed on carrion and chicks.
cultural groups
Compared to their Aridoamerican neighbors, the peoples of Oasisamérica were totally sedentary cultural regions. This is because they built small villages in New Mexico and Chihuahua, specifically in the town of Casas Grandes. There, and in other locations, between the years 1205 and 1261 they managed to reach their peak.
Until today, its emergence is unknown, but scholars of the matter have not yet been able to rule out two hypotheses about it; one that presumes that they were part of the desert inhabitants who learned about agriculture with the Mesoamericans, and the other that supposes that they are emigrants from Mesoamerica who settled in the north.
So that you can understand the subject a little better, it is best that we develop which were these social groups that made up the territories and in what part of it they were located. They could be classified into five different classes:
Anasazi
The Anasazi tribe was one of the most important and recognized of all, this corresponds to an area called "Las Cuatro Esquinas"; Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. Due to its complexity, during the last decades it has been widely studied in universities in the United States. Its origin dates back to well before the 1540st century BC and until its subjugation by Spanish colonizers in approximately XNUMX.
Fremont
It is believed that the Fremont are a cultural group derived from the Anasazi, however, it is still unknown. This group was based in a large part of the area where Utah is today. As for its development, it was less cumbersome compared to other cultures and was strongly influenced by the customs and traditions of the Anasazi.
There are estimates that expose the slow process of decline that they had to go through between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. For this reason, when the Spaniards arrived in America there were no traces of them in the surroundings.
hohokam
At first, there was not much information about this tribe, little by little it was discovered what they were like, where they lived and a few other pieces of information. The Hohokam lived in the deserts of Sonora and Arizona, between the Gila and Colorado rivers.
Their most important settlements were in the areas of Casa Grande, Red Mountain, Pueblo de los Muertos, and Snaketown, Arizona. The culture was divided into 4 distinct periods; 300 BC pioneer C. to 550 AD, Colonial from 550 AD to 900 AD, Sedentary from 900 AD to 1100 AD) and Classic from 1100 AD to 1450 AD
pataya
By sharing the same territory with the previous group, the Pataya were notably conditioned by the culture of the Hohokam. So they played ball, cremated their dead and made pottery, exactly as they were. As with the Fremonts, they went through a period of decline in the XNUMXth century, which managed to end their existence and by the arrival of the Spanish crown, nothing of their traces could be found.
mogollon
The mogollón were located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, they are characterized by having a derivation of their culture: the Paquimé. The two cultures, both the Mogollón and the Paquimé, stand out for having easily adapted to life in high-altitude forests located in ravines and mountains. In the Mimbres River Valley, New Mexico, they developed their love for pottery. It should be noted that their chronological order is not yet well established.
Ceramics
The beginning of pottery making meant the end of the gathering and hunting season of the Oasis-American civilization. It is considered one of the elements that marked the beginning of the sedentary lifestyle in the region, or at least partially.
The three main social groups of Oasisamérica managed to get involved in this art, only in different ways and in different time periods. In the first place we find the Anasazi, who began at a time that had been called the basket-making stage. In it they were able to focus on a mixed-type economy and take care of just weaving baskets.
However, in the second moment, known as the village phase, it was that the formal production of ceramics began. Experts affirm that it was a period of maximum artistic manifestation for the Anasazi, since they established a wicker pottery of great detail, in which only red, black and white were used. In addition to this, designs were not only made with geometric figures, but also with animals and sophisticated people.
In the case of the Hohokam, their style had a notable distinction. For the beginning, this was set as a pioneering era, since they had gray monochrome ceramics for domestic use. Already for the third, the sedentary, ceramics could reach an exceptional quality with a wide variety of styles, structures and shades. It is enough to observe to notice that if there was a significant change in it.
Finally, we find the Mogollones, those who also produced pieces of sublime beauty and quality. In its initial phase, curiously called Georgetown, the creations were very simplistic, since they had no decorations and their color was completely brown.
The shapes were based on bowls and vases. It took a few years for the first ceramics decorated with small touches of scarlet red on a brown tone to emerge in its San Francisco stage.
Architecture
In the different cultures of Oasisamerica, especially that of the Anasazi, there was a time of supreme architectural expression.
During this period of time, known by historians as the "Pueblo Period", social groups launched the ideas and construction of large multi-family homes made up of several stories, many of them stepped and others standing on hills.
In turn, the structures of the Hohokam were much simpler. Semi-subterranean settlements predominate in this culture, where roofs were made with mesquite trunks and leaves, and the rooms were covered with mud. When we talk about the case of the Mogollones, these over the years began to add architectural forms with previous rectangular plants. In their ceremonial complexes, everything was different, since they were built with slightly arched walls.
hydraulic development
The oasis-american culture is famous for the prominence they had in hydraulic development, which was quite advanced for the time. As a consequence of the poor vegetation and the semi-arid climate in the area, the inhabitants of Oasisamérica had to adapt to the circumstances and find a way in which they could dedicate themselves fully to agriculture in order to survive.
From there comes the idea of channeling surface water currents and storing the little rainfall that occurred each year. In order to conserve their few crops, the inhabitants knew how to take advantage of the rivers that they had in the surroundings, to later create highly complex hydraulic systems.
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