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Sun Stone - Part of the Aztec Calendar
28 March, 2019 - 20:12 joannagillan

The Aztec Calendar Wheel and the Philosophy of Time

The Aztec or Mexica calendar wheels have been a source of fascination for centuries. It was not just a way to keep time - it was a complete philosophy of time in which every day had a religious...
A view of the great megalithic walls surrounding the Acropolis of Chimalacatlan. Some of the stones measure over 3 meters long, with an estimated weight of between 5 to 8 tons.
9 February, 2019 - 01:43 Marco M. Vigato

Tamoanchan – In Search of the Lost Cradle of Mesoamerican Civilizations

The oldest Nahua legends speak of a mythical place called Tamoanchan , considered to be the cradle of all Mesoamerican civilizations and a sort of terrestrial paradise from which the ancestors of the...
Spanish conquistadors of the New World.
1 February, 2019 - 22:56 Ed Whelan

Colonization of the Americas Caused Climatic Change

New research indicates that the death toll of the indigenous population of the Americas during and after European colonization was so high that it changed the environment around the globe and led to...
Ancient Khmer carving of childbirth.
24 November, 2018 - 13:49 dhwty

Ancient Childbirth Beliefs and Rituals Thought to Protect Mother and Child

For much of human history, pregnancy and childbirth was an extremely dangerous period in a woman’s life. It was often believed that the expectant mother and her baby were vulnerable to malevolent...
Aztec double headed serpent turquoise chest ornament, British Museum.
19 June, 2018 - 01:49 ancient-origins

True Origin of Ancient Turquoise Outstretches Previous Beliefs

New research published in the journal Science Advances overturns more than a century of thought about the source of turquoise used by ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica, the vast region that...
Legends of The Sun: From Solar Gods to Flying Chariots
2 June, 2018 - 19:33 LukeDoyle

Legends of The Sun: From Solar Gods to Flying Chariots

Thanks to scientific discoveries, we know for certain that life on Earth depends upon the sun. But long before scientists even discovered that our planet revolves around it, ancient cultures...
Bearded Gods of the Americas Were Jesus Resurrected?! Maybe. But Why is the Plumed Serpent Ubiquitous?
7 September, 2017 - 19:00 Brien Foerster

Bearded Gods of the Americas Were Jesus Resurrected?! Maybe. But Why is the Plumed Serpent Ubiquitous?

It is claimed by some authors that white missionaries or "gods" visited America before Christopher Columbus. Authors usually quote from mythology and legends which discuss ancient gods such as the...
Section of skulls at the tzompantli found near the Templo Mayor, Mexico City
3 July, 2017 - 18:57 Theodoros Karasavvas

Gruesome Remains of Aztec Skull Tower Discovered in Mexico Include Women and Children

Archaeologists have uncovered a tower of human skulls beneath the heart of Mexico City. The new find has given birth to new questions about the culture of sacrifice in the Aztec Empire after numerous...
Terrifying Mesoamerican Skull Racks Were Erected to Deter Enemies
8 October, 2016 - 00:42 dhwty

Terrifying Mesoamerican Skull Racks Were Erected to Deter Enemies

A skull rack, known also as Tzompantli in the Nahuatl language, is an object documented to have been used in several Mesoamerican civilizations, including the Aztecs, the Toltecs, and the Mayas...
Newly discovered skulls at the Templo Mayor complex in Mexico.
22 August, 2015 - 14:56 Robin Whitlock

Archaeologists unearth Aztec human skull trophy rack in Mexico temple

A trophy rack of human skulls that had once belonged to victims of human sacrifice has been discovered by archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History at the Templo...
An Olmec style face adorns the side of the Mask Temple at the Mayan site of Lamanai in Belize
7 January, 2015 - 11:29 dhwty

The mysterious civilization of the Olmecs

Mexico is perhaps most well-known, archaeologically speaking, as the home of the Aztec civilization. Yet, before the arrival of the Aztecs, another sophisticated civilization, the Olmecs, ruled the...
Artifacts in Mexico
2 May, 2014 - 02:45 aprilholloway

Unique artifacts uncovered in Mexico shed light on ancient civilisation

A team of archaeologists from Colorado State University have uncovered a rare copper and bronze rattle, as well as numerous human remains at a site in Angamuco, a pre-Hispanic city in the Mexican...
Chinampas, The Floating Gardens of Mexico
7 April, 2014 - 22:47 dhwty

Chinampas, The Floating Gardens of Mexico

Human sacrifice. This is probably the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think about the Aztecs. However, there is much more to Aztec civilisation than this practice. By 1519, when...
Human Bones - Aztecs ritual cannibalism
19 January, 2014 - 00:21 aprilholloway

Human bones show evidence that Aztecs practiced ritual cannibalism

New research has revealed the Aztec rulers, priests, and high ranking warriors practiced cannibalism as a research rite. Evidence comes from fragments of human bones found in the Sacred Grounds of...
God of Death Shrine
22 November, 2013 - 10:24 aprilholloway

God of Death Shrine Unearthed in Mexico

In a discovery that would send shivers up your spine, archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History have discovered the first ever shrine dedicated to Mictlantecuhtli,...
Spanish
6 October, 2013 - 10:51 ancient-origins

The Spanish use of Animals as Weapons of War

Imagine you are a people hardened in battle, with a pugnacious martial code built up through two centuries of continuous warfare with your neighbors. You are a people accustomed to victory because...

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