Mesoamerica and Eurasia (Ch7)

List and explain in detail at least three similarities and three differences between Mesoamerica and Eurasia.

Similarities:
    1) Large Cities: Both Mesoamerica and Eurasia had societies with large populations and were over expansive areas of land. In Eurasia there was obviously the large Empires of Greece, Persia, Rome, and China, plus the settlement of India. In Mesoamerica there was the Olmec Empire, the Mayan, and the America's greatest city- Teotihuacan. The city itself was 8 square miles, but its whole empire reached over 10,000 square miles, taking over some of the most distant cities of Maya, such as Kaminalijuyu . 
    2) Agriculture: Both Mesoamerica and Eurasia had societies that settled down for agriculture. Without agriculture, these settlement would not exist for they would have stayed hunter gatherers. In Mesoamerica all the civilizations we study utilized the land to grow crops and they domesticated animals. The land in both regions was fertile and made this life easy. 
    3) Architecture: In both regions they had elaborate architecture and more similarly, both places had pyramids.  Teotihuacan in Mesoamerica had two pyramids within the city itself, serving as temples,  the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the Pyramid of the Sun. Egypt, in Eurasia, is well known for its multiple pyramids, built for pharaohs as burial chambers. The Maya and Olmec (Mesoamerica) also built pyramids for sacrificial purposes, or just to honor their gods. In Eurasia the Chinese, often had burial mounds, which were used in the same way as pyramids, just not quite extensive. There were also the pyramids of Rome and Greece (even though there conditions didn't last as well as some other pyramids). Even though all of these places had pyramids, Egypt is still the most known society of pyramid builders due to how many there are and how well the conditions of many of them still are today. 

Differences:
    1) Trade: In Mesoamerica there was no trade, or at least very minimal amounts of it, they grew most of their own plants, killed their own animals, wove their own textiles, and created other tools and materials. Where as in Eurasia trade was a very big deal, the greatest example of which is the Silk Road, which was a network of trading routes that went from China to Rome, with stops everywhere in between. Camel Caravans carried the goods across the land. There was also seaborne trade and exchange across the desert, through woodlands and through mountains.  
    2) Metallurgy: Mesoamerica didn't have metallurgy, they worked with earth itself, where as Eurasia used metallurgy to utilize new technologies. Metallurgy worked gold, copper, bronze, and later iron, into jewelry, tools, and weapons.
    3) Big Animals: In Mesoamerica there were no large animals to domesticate and use for agriculture and travel, but in Eurasia there were horses, camels, oxen, and elephants which were indeed used for agriculture, travel, and trade.