(ORDO NEWS) — The cities of pre-Columbian Mexico with a collective form of government and horizontal ties lasted longer than others.
The fate of the ancient Indian cities of pre-Columbian America developed in different ways: some of them existed for no more than a century, others for two hundred years, and some for about a thousand.
Gary Feynman and his colleagues analyzed the ruins of 24 such cities, including the famous Monte Alban, and tried to establish a connection between their fate and the nature of the device.
One could learn about it by carefully examining the features of the layout, wall paintings and outbuildings.
“We looked at the public architecture, the nature of the economy, and what allowed the city to live. We looked at the hallmarks of the board, whether it was highly personalized or not,” Feynman said.
“Art and architecture that celebrate the incredible qualities of rulers are indicative of more autocratic or despotic societies, while depicting leaders in groups, often wearing masks, is more indicative of power-sharing.”
It turned out that the “democratic” cities of these 24 existed for a longer period.
“Those cities in which collective forms of government prevailed retained their power and power longer than those where autocracy reigned, sometimes for a thousand years,” the authors write.
However, even among cities with a collective form of government, there was a significant variation in the time of existence. To explain it, the authors analyzed other aspects of life, such as infrastructure features.
It turned out that more “collective” cities were more likely to survive longer: with an abundance of densely located, interconnected living quarters and large central open areas.
According to the authors, such planning and development promoted horizontal communication between households and mutual assistance, which made it possible to be well prepared for natural and man-made disasters.
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