Abstract
The article describes the evolution of the ideas about the of social and economic nature and political structure of pre-Columbian societies of Mesoamerica of the founder of the theory of “hydraulic society” Karl Wittfogel (1896–1988). An analysis of Wittfogel’s early publications shows that he initially attributed Mesoamerica to the type of oriental “feudal” societies that did not develop a despotic-type state. The change of this position was connected to the contacts with the Mesoamericanists like Paul Kirchhoff and Pedro Carrasco and cooperation with Julian Steward. Wittfogel’s theoretical ideas had an important impact on the position of Angel Palerm, who formulated his own concept of the emergence of urban civilization in Mesoamerica. The work of Palerm and Pedro Armillas, in their turn, contributed to the final formulation of Wittfogel’s views of the pre-Hispanic history. In “Oriental Despotism” (1957), Wittfogel suggested that civilization in Mesoamerica was based on hydraulic system and separated two regional variants. The first, defined as semi-complex (“loose”) hydraulic society (subtype L2), includes the states of Central Mexico (Aztec and Texcoco). The second called “marginal hydraulic societies substantial hydraulic elements” (subtype M1) was represented by the lowland Maya.
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