The Legacy of Mesoamerica History and Culture of a Native American Civilization, 2nd Edition

INTRODUCTION 31

Figure A.13 Sequence (steps A–D) by

which the Olmec were-jaguar motif was

transformed into later religious motifs of

Mesoamerica. Adapted from Miguel

Covarrubias, Indian Art of Mexico and

Central America.New York: Alfred A.

Knopf, 1957, p. 62.

emerged in the social sciences a strong theoretical movement that focused attention
more on behavior than on ideas, specifically, the behaviors by which human groups
exploit their material environment. Cultures, according to this perspective, are best
seen as adaptive mechanisms by which human populations conform to ever-changing
environmental conditions. The adaptive changes engaged in by groups of people
constitute cultural evolution, and they result in either divergence or convergence

D

C

B

A