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Mesoamerica

Aztec Calendar Sun Stone, used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico and Central America
1 August, 2018 - 01:56 Caleb Strom

Nahuatl, The Language of the Aztec Nation

Today, Spanish is the dominant language of Mexico and most central and South American countries. There was a time, however, when Nahuatl, a language spoken by the indigenous inhabitants of the Valley...
A Huastec Tlazolteotl statue, the British Museum. (The Trustees of the British Museum/CC BY NC SA 4.0) Background: Aztec iconography. (CC0)
20 July, 2018 - 02:00 dhwty

Tlazolteotl: An Ancient Patroness and Purifier for all things Filthy

Tlazolteotl was an earth goddess in the pantheon of the Aztecs, although her area of influence is a little wider and more unusual than some goddesses of the earth and fertility. Filth was her domain...
The ‘Bird Man’, one of the mural paintings in Cacaxtla
18 July, 2018 - 02:00 dhwty

Cacaxtla: Where the Rain Dies on Earth and Murals Tell Tales of Forgotten Lives

Warriors in jaguar skins stand over their defeated opponents dressed as quetzal birds, priests invoke the sacred avian and feline powers, and a merchant sets off on a journey with a pack full of...
Magnificent columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula
13 July, 2018 - 01:55 dhwty

Toltecs: Fierce Warriors Who Changed the Face of Mesoamerica for Good

The Toltec culture was a pre-Columbian culture that dominated the area of what is today central Mexico from the 10 th to the 12 th centuries AD. They ruled the region from their capital of Tollan (...
Ingreso al Kalasasaya, Tiwanaku, Bolivia
11 July, 2018 - 16:30 ashley cowie

Unearthing the Lost Meridian of Tiwanaku’s Temple Builders

The Tiwanaku Empire (300 to 1150 AD) preceded the Inca Empire; and by 400 AD Tiwanaku rose the become the most influential of a number of city states in the region. It was the center for regional...
A Mayan lord sits before an individual with a container of frothed chocolate.
28 June, 2018 - 22:55 Ed Whelan

Failed Crops Caused Economic Crash for Mayan Chocolate Currency

An academic study has made a remarkable claim about the role of chocolate in ancient Mayan society. An archaeologist is arguing that chocolate was used as money by the ancient Maya. That is right,...
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...
Aztec sculpture representing the head of the aztec god Xolotl, exhibited in the Mexico room of the Museo Nacional de Antropología de México.
29 April, 2018 - 18:52 dhwty

Xolotl – The Underworld Dog God of the Aztecs

According to Aztec mythology, Xolotl was a deity normally associated with Quetzalcoatl, one of the most important gods in the Aztec pantheon. As a matter of fact, Xolotl was regarded to be the twin...
George Catlin, Tchung-kee, a Mandan Game Played with a Ring and Pole", 1832-3.
9 February, 2018 - 02:02 ancient origins

Ancient North Americans Played High-stakes Games

University of California, Santa Barbara From games of chance to tests of physical skill, ancient North America Indians took their sport and recreation seriously, research shows. “Games are ubiquitous...
Top left section detail of (1593) [The Codex Quetzalecatzin]. [Mexico: Producer not identified] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
23 November, 2017 - 22:57 Theodoros Karasavvas

Library of Congress Obtains Mesoamerican Map from the Dawn of the Americas

The U.S. Library of Congress has recently announced that a unique, indigenous-made map of Mexico from the era of the Nahuatl people's first contact with European explorers is now part of its vast...
Some of the Mitla mosaics.
20 October, 2017 - 18:49 dhwty

Mitla Mosaics: A Coded Language May Plaster the Walls of a Zapotec City of the Dead

Unique and curious designs plaster the walls of the most popular Zapotec archaeological site in Mexico. They are called the Mitla mosaics and are unrivalled in their precision and quality of...
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...
Aerial view of the El Palenque royal palace location. This is the oldest palace uncovered to date in this area of Mexico. Insert: King K'inich Kan Balam II of Palenque, Temple XVII panel. Detail.
29 March, 2017 - 13:56 Theodoros Karasavvas

Evidence of A 2,300-Year-Old Mesoamerican State Society? Immense Palace Complex May Rewrite Mexican History

The remains of an ancient royal palace in have been unearthed in southern Mexico. It is considered to be the oldest royal structure ever excavated in the area – dating back 2,300 years – providing...
Tezcatlipoca: How Does the Supreme God of the Aztecs Compare to Other Omnipotent Deities?
15 February, 2017 - 14:02 Caleb Strom

Tezcatlipoca: How Does the Supreme God of the Aztecs Compare to Other Omnipotent Deities?

The god Tezcatlipoca was a major Aztec deity who was worshiped in east-west facing temples in many Mesoamerican city-states under the influence of the Aztecs, particularly Texcoco. He was considered...
Mexico Sees Resurgence of Pulque, Ancient Alcoholic Beverage of Mesoamerica
8 December, 2016 - 03:47 aprilholloway

Mexico Sees Resurgence of Pulque, Ancient Alcoholic Beverage of Mesoamerica

Mexico is seeing a renewed interest in the traditional alcoholic beverage known as pulque, a milky drink made from the sap of the agave, whose origins go back thousands of years. Although the ancient...
Birds, Stones, and Jaguars: Piecing Together the Multifaceted Ancient Olmec Religion
8 December, 2016 - 00:51 Clyde Winters

Birds, Stones, and Jaguars: Piecing Together the Multifaceted Ancient Olmec Religion

The Bilingual-Mayan inscription of Comalcalco and decipherment of the La Venta celts and Olmec iconography allows one to understand much about the ancient Olmec religion and its cult associations...
Mayan calendar on parchment
8 September, 2016 - 21:49 ancient-origins

Mayan Calendar Similar to Ancient Chinese: Early Contact?

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times Ancient Mayan and Chinese calendar systems share so many similarities, it is unlikely they developed independently, according to the late David H. Kelley, whose paper...
Discovery of Crocodile Carving Sheds Light on Political Rift Between Two Related Centers in Ancient Mexico
3 September, 2016 - 00:50 Mark Miller

Discovery of Crocodile Carving Sheds Light on Political Rift Between Two Related Centers in Ancient Mexico

Archaeologists have unearthed a stone carving of a crocodile that possibly had ritual significance to the pre-Columbian Zapotec people at the city of Lambityeco in the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico. The...
Ancient Inhabitants of the Great City of Teotihuacan in Mexico Farmed Rabbits
20 August, 2016 - 03:49 ancient-origins

Ancient Inhabitants of the Great City of Teotihuacan in Mexico Farmed Rabbits

Humans living in the pre-Hispanic Mexican city of Teotihuacan may have bred rabbits and hares for food, fur and bone tools, according to a study published August 17, 2016 in the open-access journal...
Newly discovered artifacts at ancient ruins in Honduras believed to be the legendary ‘White City’.
11 February, 2016 - 00:52 aprilholloway

Hundreds of Intriguing Artifacts Unearthed at Ancient ‘White City’ Ruins in Honduras

Archaeologists have unearthed more than 200 intriguing artifacts, including elaborate sculptures and ritualistic relics, just 4 weeks into excavations at archaeological ruins in the jungle of...
Newly discovered artifacts at ancient ruins in Honduras believed to be the legendary ‘White City’.
14 January, 2016 - 14:53 aprilholloway

New Discoveries at Ancient ‘White City’ Ruins in Honduras May Shed Light on Mysterious Civilization

Just three days into excavations at archaeological ruins in the jungle of Honduras - believed to be the legendary ‘White City’ – and researchers have already unearthed a dozen ancient artifacts which...
A “were-jaguar” effigy, likely representing a combination of a human and spirit animal, is part of a still-buried ceremonial seat, discovered in a cache in ruins deep in the Honduran jungle.
9 January, 2016 - 03:50 ancient-origins

Honduras to Begin Investigations of Ancient Jungle Ruins Believed to be the Legendary White City

The President of Honduras has announced that scientists will begin exploring an ancient archaeological site in the jungle where they believe the legendary ‘White City’, otherwise known as ‘City of...
Part of the facade of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent of Teotihuacán, now at the Mexican National Museum of Anthropology; eagles and rattlesnakes were among the animals kept and/or sacrificed at the ancient city.
20 December, 2015 - 03:34 Mark Miller

Mesoamericans at Teotihuacan kept Ferocious Animals Captive and May Have Fed them with Humans

Much has been written about human sacrifice in Mesoamerica, but a new study says the people of Teotihuacan up to 2,000 years ago had a wild animal captivity and sacrifice program that included...

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