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This chapter outlines how time is understood and measured in research on Mesoamerica; describes the practices that define Mesoamerican cultural traditions, giving special attention to mathematics, calendars, and writing that are the most distinctive aspects of these societies; and considers alternative ways of thinking about Mesoamerica as a linguistic area, as a geographic region, and as a network of communities of practice. From a cultural evolutionary perspective, the history of Mesoamerica is also the story of the gradual development of a cultural peak in the Classic period from its initial roots and of a decline after that peak. Mesoamerica was originally defined as a culture area based on a checklist of traits ranging from basic religious concepts to minor details of costume. The development of calendars, mathematical notation, and writing served to represent …