Download or read book Lost Cities and Ancient Temples of Mesoamerica written by LEARN ALCHEMICAL and published by DTTV PUBLICATIONS. This book was released on with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mayan civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization founded by the Maya peoples. It was noted for its hieroglyphic script—the only known fully developed writing system of the pre-Columbian Americas—and its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical design. Since the 1990s, what were once considered mysterious ruins in Mexico have been reconstructed by Archaeologist Winslow Bradford. The complex structures were made of lime-plastered mud bricks with an internal wood framework supporting heavy loads and a stone foundation below. Mayan temples were a place for playing games, holding feasts, and rituals involving human sacrifice. The Maya people-built pyramids as places to worship their gods. These pyramids usually had several smaller temples on top to honor their gods. Worshippers would climb the steep steps up to the temple at the top of the pyramid to leave gifts and pray. Some pyramids also had "sacred stairways" or ramps leading up to them. You might be interested to learn that the Mayan civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization established by the Maya peoples and renowned for its hieroglyphic script—the only known fully developed language system of the pre-Columbian Americas—as well as for its architectural design, engineering, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical design. Mayans were a Mesoamerican civilization living in what is now Guatemala, Honduras, and parts of Mexico. They are believed to have had some contact with the Olmecs who preceded them in Mexico. Their culture ultimately became more complex than other nearby civilizations such as Teotihuacan (in today's Mexico City), Zapotec (in today's Oaxaca), or Tula (in today's Hidalgo). The rise and fall of these three kingdoms left behind massive monuments still standing today that had survived centuries without being covered by new civilizations coming in on top of them. Like happened at many other sites around Mexico & Central America, where older buildings were simply built over when newer ones came along later on top of them...
Download or read book The Lost City of the Monkey God written by Douglas Preston and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2017-01-03 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, named one of the best books of the year by The Boston Globe and National Geographic: acclaimed journalist Douglas Preston takes readers on a true adventure deep into the Honduran rainforest in this riveting narrative about the discovery of a lost civilization -- culminating in a stunning medical mystery. Since the days of conquistador Hernán Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Indigenous tribes speak of ancestors who fled there to escape the Spanish invaders, and they warn that anyone who enters this sacred city will fall ill and die. In 1940, swashbuckling journalist Theodore Morde returned from the rainforest with hundreds of artifacts and an electrifying story of having found the Lost City of the Monkey God-but then committed suicide without revealing its location. Three quarters of a century later, bestselling author Doug Preston joined a team of scientists on a groundbreaking new quest. In 2012 he climbed aboard a rickety, single-engine plane carrying the machine that would change everything: lidar, a highly advanced, classified technology that could map the terrain under the densest rainforest canopy. In an unexplored valley ringed by steep mountains, that flight revealed the unmistakable image of a sprawling metropolis, tantalizing evidence of not just an undiscovered city but an enigmatic, lost civilization. Venturing into this raw, treacherous, but breathtakingly beautiful wilderness to confirm the discovery, Preston and the team battled torrential rains, quickmud, disease-carrying insects, jaguars, and deadly snakes. But it wasn't until they returned that tragedy struck: Preston and others found they had contracted in the ruins a horrifying, sometimes lethal-and incurable-disease. Suspenseful and shocking, filled with colorful history, hair-raising adventure, and dramatic twists of fortune, THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD is the absolutely true, eyewitness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century.
Download or read book Lost Cities of the Mayan Empire written by Rhandel Lopez and published by DTTV PUBLICATIONS. This book was released on with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chichén Itzá Although many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century, like the Greeks and the Romans, none have intrigued people like the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance continue to captivate people today. Chichén Itzá, the most visited and most spectacular of the Late Classic Maya cities, is at the center of the fascination. In the later years of Maya civilization, Chichen Itzá had been inhabited for hundreds of years. In developing columns and exterior relief decoration, Chichén Itzá probably had over 30,000 residents at its peak, with a spectacular pyramid, enormous ball court, observatory, and several temples to boast. The sacred cenote at Chichén Itzá, a sinkhole used for Maya rituals surrounding water, is of particular interest. The Maya regarded it as a primary concern because adequate water was rarely found on the limestone-based Yucatan surface. The underwater archeology conducted in the cenote at Chichén Itzá found that offerings (including people, possibly) were thrown into the sinkhole in honor of the Maya rain deity Chaac. Despite its long history, Chichén Itzá had a relatively short period where it dominated the region, lasting from 800-950 CE. Nowadays, guides take tourists to one of the temples called the Nunnery for no good reason other than that the small rooms remind them of a nunnery back home.
Download or read book LOST KINGDOMS OF CENTRAL AMERICA written by Norah Romney and published by DTTV PUBLICATIONS. This book was released on 2021-02-12 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thousands of years ago, people settled in the part of the world called Mesoamerica. This region consists of southern Mexico and most of Central America as it stretches between what is now called the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Although many different countries now exist within this space, it was the original home to just one civilisation: the Olmec. As time advanced, other well-known groups became dominant in the area. These were primarily the Aztecs and the Mayan. All these early civilizations that existed from approximately 1200 BCE to 900 CE were steeped with culture, tradition, commerce, and conflict. They also offer many mysteries and enigmas to modern understanding. These are the things that make people wonder about how the civilisations arose, gained such power, and why they disappeared. Travel back in time to the first days to discover the questions that still exist in the minds of archaeologists, historians, and others who strive to understand the ancient mysteries of Mesoamerica.
Download or read book Lost Pyramids of Mesoamerica written by Rhandel Lopez and published by DTTV PUBLICATIONS. This book was released on with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most visitors to Mexico visit one of the great Mayan cities, it is worth visiting some of the lesser-known ruins like Mayapan and Balamku. Mayapan is an ancient Maya city in the northern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The site has a long history, with its first occupation dating back to at least 900 BC and its last occupation dating to around 1450 AD. The word "Mayapan" means "Hill of the Jaguar." The name refers to the shape of one of three hills that formed it - this hill was called Pa Chan (Place of the Jaguar). It was here that a jaguar deity named Chac reigned. When Chac left his post as a god of rain, the rain ceased falling on earth for four years until he returned; during this time, people were forced to irrigate their crops by hand or die from thirst if they failed at growing corn without rainwater overflow from nearby lakes and rivers. The city of Teotihuacan is one of the most important archaeological sites in Mexico. It was the center of a civilization at its peak around the 1st century B.C. and was abandoned around 650 AD, leaving behind an impressive collection of pyramids and other structures. As you explore this site, you will discover how these ancient people lived and what they left behind for us to admire today. Tulum is a small town on the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, south of Cancún. It may not be your first choice if you look for beaches and relaxation. But if you want to see some fantastic architecture—and walk in the footsteps of the Maya—you should definitely make plans to visit Tulum. The Mayans built the city between 1200 and 1450 CE (Common Era) as a seaport for trading with other cultures in Mesoamerica. Its popularity rose with increased trade throughout Mexico during this period; however, it fell into disrepair after Spanish colonization began around 1519 CE when conquistador Hernán Cortés took control over what had been largely autonomous states up until then. The buildings are made from limestone quarried from nearby cliffs and from sandstone blocks that were likely carried from much further away by barge or canoe along rivers and lakes (since there were no roads). The city of Uxmal is a magnificent example of the Puuc style, with its buildings built of fine stuccoed brickwork. As you explore the site, you can see how closely related it is to Chichén Itzá and other major Maya sites in the region. The Pyramid of the Magician (also known as El Castillo) - is a fantastic pyramid building with 4 sides, each having 91 steps and each step 7 feet tall for a total height of 65 feet! House of Turtles (or Casa del Adivino) - this building has beautiful decorations both inside and out depicting turtles in different positions; some say that these turtles represent wisdom or knowledge. Tikal is the largest Mayan ruin in Guatemala and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was the capital of the Maya kingdom of the same name and one of their most potent cities, dating back to at least 200 B.C., if not earlier. It was abandoned by the Maya around 900 A.D., but its temples still tower over the jungle floor today—some are even taller than they were when they were first built! Palenque, Crown of the North, is one of the most critical sites in the Maya world. Palenque was once a thriving city and capital of one of Mexico's most powerful states. It boasts some of the most impressive ruins on this list. It was first discovered by a German explorer in 1719 while looking for a site to build his own city. The main pyramid at Palenque rises over 70 meters (230 ft) into the air, and its steps are steep enough to pause even hardened explorers when climbing them! There are also two smaller temples nearby and many smaller statues depicting jaguars – these symbolize power for humans and gods alike.
Download or read book Mesoamerica s Ancient Cities written by William M. Ferguson and published by UNM Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William Ferguson's classic photographic portrayal of the major pre-Columbian ruins of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras is now available from UNM Press in a completely revised edition. Magnificent aerial and ground photographs give both armchair and actual visitors unparalleled views of fifty-one ancient cities. The restored areas of each site and their interesting and exotic features are shown within each group of ruins. The authors have thoroughly revised the text for this new edition, and they have added over 30 new photographs and illustrations as well as a completely new chapter by Richard E. W. Adams on regional states and empires in ancient Mesoamerica. Over a span of three thousand years between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 1500 great civilizations, including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, Zapotec, and Aztec, flourished, waned, and died in Mesoamerica. These indigenous cultures of Mexico and Central America are brought to life in Mesoamerica's Ancient Cities through stunning color photographs. The authors include the most recent research and most widely accepted theoretical perspectives on Mesoamerican civilizations. Ideal for the general reader as well as scholars of Mesoamerica, this volume makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the Americas.
Download or read book The Lost Cities of the Mayas written by Fabio Bourbon and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1839 Frederick Catherwood and John Lloyd Stephens climbed the steps of the Mayan pyramids of the lost city, Copan. This text reconstructs the two expeditions they made into Mayan territory, with historical and architectural annotations, and Catherwood's illustrations for Stephens travel diaries.
Download or read book Discoveries Lost Cities of the Maya written by Claude F. Baudez and published by . This book was released on 1992-03-30 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Culled from a variety of sources, the rare photographs, documents, paintings, and drawings in this history of America's famous pyramid builders answers some of the most puzzling questions about the Mayan civilization.
Download or read book Lost Cities of the Maya written by Claude F. Baudez and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the NEW HORIZONS series of pocket-sized information books, a look at the ancient Mayan cities, their civilisation and the lives of their inhabitants. With foldouts and double-page spreads.
Download or read book Discovering Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations written by Ann Byers and published by Britannica Educational Publishing. This book was released on 2015-01-01 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating narrative introduces young readers to the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. Evolving from their primitive ways to complex societies, these ancient peoples left records for archaeologists to piece together to glean what these peoples were really like more than 3,000 years ago. Among the civilizations examined are the Olmec, Zapotec, Aztec, and Maya. Lands, cultures, religions, and daily life activities are considered, as well as the colossal rock heads of the Olmec that still exist, the maguey plant that the Zapotec grew and used for making houses, and the temple at Chichén Itzá, among other remarkable facts and achievements.
Download or read book Lost cities of the Maya written by Claude Baudez and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Life in Ancient Mesoamerica written by Lynn Peppas and published by Crabtree Publishing Company. This book was released on 2005 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are great mysteries that surround the earliest peoples that settled in the rainforests and coastal areas of Central America. Life in Ancient Mesoamerica explores the Olmec peoples and their massive stone sculptures, the great architecture, language, and art of the Maya, and the military achievement of the Aztec civilization. The book also features the many gods and goddesses of Mesoamerica, the role of religion in the daily life of the people, and what is known about each civilization's decline.
Download or read book Teotihuacan written by Charles River and published by . This book was released on 2014-04-22 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures. *Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading. On January 31, 378 AD, a massive army arrived at the gates of the city of Tikal, one of the Ancient Maya's most important settlements in the Yucatan Peninsula. The events that transpired became known by the Spanish name "Entrada" ("Entry"), referring to "the entry of Teotihuacan". While there is no clear record of the events due to the sheer scale of destruction that took place, it's clear that neither Tikal nor the Maya as a whole had ever seen anything like it because these foreign soldiers not only conquered but also subsequently ruled Tikal despite the fact they had come from Teotihuacan, located about 630 miles (1,013 kilometers) away. In the process, the Teotihuacanos not only changed Tikal but the direction of the Mayan civilization for centuries to come. At the time, Teotihuacan was the biggest city in South America and was located in the Valley of Mexico near today's Mexico City. Thriving between 100-750 AD, it was one of the largest cities in the ancient world, with a population estimated at upwards of 150,000-250,000, over three times the size of contemporary Mayan capitals. Furthermore, Teotihuacan was a supremely well-planned and efficient city that was able to field massive armies and extend its power far beyond its home base to create a unified empire unlike anything in the region before it. In fact, the city's residents seemed so sure of its power that there were apparently no walls or military fortifications around Teotihuacan. Thanks to that power, Teotihuacan not only served as a vital center for trade in Ancient Mesoamerica but also spread its architecture, art, religion, and culture, all of which subsequently influenced the famous Mesoamerican civilizations that followed, including the Aztec and Maya. Although Teotihuacan reached the height of its power and influence about 1500 years ago, the city is still an endless topic of fascination and debate, in addition to being Mexico's most toured archaeological site. The origins of the city remain mysterious (as do the city's founders), and scholars are still coming up with theories to explain the city's demise. All the while, later Mesoamerican civilizations remembered Teotihuacan, and the Aztec even considered the city's ruins a site of worship. Teotihuacan: The History of Ancient Mesoamerica's Largest City covers the history of the city, as well as the speculation and debate surrounding it. Along with pictures, footnotes, and a bibliography, you will learn about Teotihuacan like you never have before, in no time at all.
Download or read book Mesoamerica s Ancient Cities written by William M. Ferguson and published by . This book was released on 2000-11 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over a span of 3000 years between 1500BC and AD1500, great civilisations -- including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, Zapotec, and Aztec -- flourished, waned, and died in Mesoamerica. These indigenous cultures of Mexico and Central America are brought to life in this book through stunning colour photos. The authors include the most recent research and most widely accepted theoretical perspectives on Mesoamerican civilisations. Ideal for the general reader as well as scholars of Mesoamerica, this volume makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the Americas.
Download or read book The Birth of Technology in Mesoamerica written by Ethan Gomez and published by DTTV PUBLICATIONS. This book was released on with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For thousands of years, people in Central America have found ways to improve their lives. Tools and technologies help us do more work with less effort and make our lives easier. But how did those tools and technologies come about? The Maya people were among the first groups to make discoveries that led to new technology in Mesoamerica. And now scientists uncover more about these ancient people by using modern technologies like computers and lasers! In the past, people could only see the universe in one way. They could not travel very far or very fast. But now that science and technology have changed the world, we can see things that were hidden before. We have new ways of getting from one place to another and new tools and materials that help us make textiles, boats, and paper—and even understand the past! Technology has improved in many ways, like finding better ways to get from one place to another. For example, modern technology has made transportation faster, easier, and more efficient than it used to be. Traveling long distances is much easier than before the invention of trains, cars, and airplanes. Education depends mainly on how effective teaching methods were used back then compared to today's standards; therefore, without proper instruction methods being utilized by teachers back then, there wouldn't be any hope for students' success later on down their own paths towards achieving higher learning goals." Once again, it was scientists using modern technology to help us learn more about the ancient Maya people. In Mexico, scientists have also studied the old Maya people using modern technology. They have discovered that they were more advanced than we thought, not just farmers and traders, but builders as well! The Maya had many things we take for granted today, like electricity and airplanes, but they also had inventions like books and clocks, which we don't have today! These discoveries show that even though these fantastic people lived thousands of years ago, they could still invent new things back then, just like when someone created something today (like a bike). Archaeologists have found artifacts showing how vital these things were to how these ancient people lived. In archaeology, the word artifact refers to any object left behind by people in the past. Artifacts can be made of many materials, including wood, stone, and metal. Archaeologists study these things to learn more about the people who made them and how they lived. A few discoveries have revealed things about the ancient people we never knew. For example, researchers now know that Mayan culture was more advanced than previously thought. The old Maya had a complex social structure, religious system, and calendar that was far more developed than what was once understood by modern-day archaeologists. They also had a problematic transportation and textile system—all previously misunderstood by archaeologists who studied the civilization's remains. The world has changed a lot since the ancient Maya lived. But there is still so much we don't know about how they lived and what they thought. That's why scientists study these artifacts today. They want to learn more about them and their culture so we can learn from them too!
Download or read book Lost Empires written by Charles Phillips and published by Southwater Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book unveils the lost world of the Aztec, Maya and many other peoples found by the European conquistadors.
Download or read book Lost Civilizations of Mesoamerica written by Norah Romney and published by DTTV PUBLICATIONS. This book was released on with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the Olmec culture developed in the early pre-classic period, we observe the phenomenon of the Olmec Heads and their Mysterious origins. Through ideological management and coercion mechanisms, the dominant ruler appears and alludes to forms of government exercised by individuals. Massive sculptures and large-scale architecture represent the first representations of political power. The socio-political complex that developed thus encouraged the development of similar forms in other areas of Mesoamerica, resulting in the first stratified societies consisting of actual states, as seen in Teotihuacan in the Mexican highlands, Monte Albán in Oaxaca, and the Maya city states during the classical period. A corollary of this process was the rise of some post-classical societies that reached supra-state levels, such as the Mexica, who settled in the Mexican highlands and established a true pan-Mesoamerican empire. Following this brief introduction, it is time to examine each ancient Mexican society considered the most significant in Mesoamerica's political development.
