Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Pages 302-307
Please post at least three sentences here to demonstrate that you engaged with and thought about the reading. At least part of your post should talk about the Maya, but other parts of your post can ask questions more generally about the Americas as a whole (North, South and Central America).
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17 comments:
While reading this text, I had a couple of questions. My first question was from page 302 in the second paragraph. It said: "To appear divine, the Zaghawan king took his meals in secret." I understand that the king was worshipped like an Allah (as said in the line above of the text I just quoted) but why was this so important?
Also in the American Geography section, in the second paragraph also on page 302, I came across the term "Mesoamerica". I was wondering what Mesoamerica was so I did a quick search and from a Wikipedia article I found: "a region in the mid-latitudes of the Americas, namely the culture area within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries." To give me a better understanding of this term, I also found this picture
*If the above link does not work, here is the actual site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Region_Mesoamerica.png
Another question I had was on pages 304 and 305 (the last paragraph on 304 carrying onto page 305). It was talking about how another female mummy of the Moche descent had been buried with gold, jewelry, and weapons as well. Why was she buried with weapons as well?
Farther down page 305, in the last paragraph, the term "microclimates" came into play. I did a search on this term because I did not know what it was and I wanted to know a few examples. With the help of a Wikipedia article, I came up with this: "A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet (for example a garden bed) or as large as many square miles (for example a valley)." This was extremely helpful.
Finally, on page 307, in the last paragraph it said that the Mayan writing system did not spread to other culture areas. I wonder why this was?
Ok so i was reading and i started to wonder if i could get more information on the Mayans. So i went on Wikipedia and i was reading and i came upon the section about the Mayan writing and literature and it was, in my opinion, really interesting so here is the link for the information i found on the Mayan writing and literature.
I was reading about the first woman they found buried in the Moche area and it mentioned earspools. I did not know what this was so I figured maybe I could find something interesting about it. These things are also knows as ear flares and they are like earrings. This is the site I looked at.
The reading mentioned that one woman mummy from the moche civilization was found with not only gold but weapons. I was thinking and it made me wonder what kind of weapons did they have? Here is a website that says a little bit more about the weapons and warriors. Just out of curiosity I looked for some sort of article from 2006 that talks about discovering the new mummy. I found just that on this National Geographic article.
The Nazca artwork seemed really fascinating so I figured maybe the Metro would have some cool Nazca artwork. I could only find these two bottles which was slightly disappointing.
bottle 1
bottle 2
When I read the last part of the reading I got a little confused. I wasnt sure why the Mayan texts were so special. Was it that they were hard to destroy? What made them different thatn other texts left by other civilizations? I also thought it would be interesting to find out why the people of the Andes dissapeared. It would be cool to find out how they used the drought and heavy storms to their advantage.
During the reading I came upon the word "Andes" so I was curious on what this word meant, so I did some research and I found that it is the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a chain of highlands along the western coast of South America. It is over 4,400 miles long, and of an average height of about 13,000 ft.
In the reading it saws that the Moche and Nazca are in a region that is surrounded by deserts. I was wondering what their technology was like and how long their empire lasted.
I also became interested in learning about the Maya civilization, and I found that the geographic extent of the Maya civilization extended throughout the southern Mexico. I also found that they are having a fully developed written language. Also that they are known for their art, as well as their monumental architecture.
I was really interested in the Nazca Lines. I found it interesting that there is no known reason that the Nazca people made these "drawings" in the sand. I know some of the beliefs are for religious purposes (so only the gods could see their "drawings") but there really does not seem to be a reason other than that. How they did it, and how they knew that it would stay astonishes me... well not how they did it because they did it by sweeping the pebbles away to reveal the earth below, but it is really cool that they would know that it would stay as long as they did.
I also decided to look into the Mayan calendar because there seems to be so much controversy around it. Most people believe that the mayans predict that the world will end on 12/21/2012. But this site states not only at the begging, but throughout the article that that is not the case, and that it is just when the calendars end and may be a conversion period to a new world age.
How did the Spanish conquerors put them in touch with each other?
How did the Nazca build such things as the underground aqueducts and the huge land art.
It said that el Nino drenched the land. Was this considered good? Was it better to have no rain or a huge storm of rain?
What were the gender roles in the Maya civilization? Were women considered important/respected?
I didn't know what the Olmecs were so I looked it up and I found that they were ancient Pre-Colombian people living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico. For more information on them see the link below: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmecs
I looked at them a little and I found their art very interesting.
Posted by Kristen
In the reading on the last page it mentioned sacrificing captives. What exactly were these sacrifices for?
I was interested in what food they grew there because they are in a different environment. I found that in the Milpas (small fields) the most popular foods they grew were maize, lima beans, beans, and squash.
In the reading it said that women were buried with weapons. Were just women buried with weapons, or were men also buried with some weapons?
I was also wondering how priests were changed. Did they have a process or mandate of heaven?
I was also wondering more about the Andes. So i found the link below:
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/andes.htm
This link talks about the location of the Andes, animals, and the climate. It also gives more sites at the bottom, which gives further information if you want them. It also talks about minerals and stones found in the Andes. It gives a map at the top, which is useful.
I was wondering about the Nazca Art. Who did it? Was it paid artists or were they “just for fun”? Also, the reading showed a picture of the monkey. What other drawings were there? Here is a map I found of where other drawings are in Peru. It’s not a geographical map, though. I found it more useful in seeing the other drawings (whale, parrot, spider, condor…)
I also wondered what the Moche mummies looked like. So, I found picture- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/images/mummy-peru_big.jpg
The reading mentioned a “Macaw Dynasty.” That name caught my attention. Was the macaw bird sacred in Mayan culture? According to this link , Mayan associated macaw with fire (and therefore the sun) because of their bright colors. And fire was a way to communicate with the gods, so it makes sense that a dynasty would want to name themselves “The Macaw Dynasty.”
The reading also mentioned Mayan warfare, and I wondered what type of weaponry the Mayans used. I found pictures of stone spearheads, but I also found this site. It has all the different aspects of Mayan culture.
Posted by Zach
After doing the reading, I noticed a few things specifically. First of all, I saw that the women were apparently buried with weapons. Traditionally, as we have seen through history, the woman's place was in the home, not fighting with weapons. I wondered if this related to the Amazons, a supposed society in Brazil, where the women were in power. Also, I thought back to our study of ancient Egypt, and remembered the eloquent burials that took place. People, namely pharaohs, but also priests, and other usually higher class people.
I remembered that they were given the items so that they could have them in death. This made me think about what the Mayans afterlife might be.
I found a source (blog code isnt working, so I just posted link)
http://www.deathreference.com/Ke-Ma/Maya-Religion.html
That shows a good description of the Mayan religion.
How important was astronomy to the peoples culture during this time?
How much was known about the different planets and the stars? Were they wrong about any of it?
I also noticed that not much was mentioned about the huari culture so I did a little bit of research
The wari or Spanish Huari was a middle horizon civilization that flourished in the andes in the south of modern-day peru, from about 500 to 1200 A.D. The capital city of the same name is located near the modern city of Ayacucho Peru. This city was the center of a civilization that covered much of the highlands and coast of modern peru Early on, their territory expanded to include the ancient oracle center of pachachamac though it seems to have remained largely autonomous. Then later it expanded to include much of the territory of the earlier Moche and later Chimu cultures. The best-preserved remnants of the Huari Culture exist near the town of Quinua at the Wari Ruins. Also well-known are the Wari ruins of Pikillaqta ("Flea Town") a short distance south-east of Cuzco en route to Lake Titicaca, which date from the Wari period before the Incas rose to power in the region.
The Wari are historically important for a number of reasons. They were contemporaries of the Tiwanaku and shared similar artistic styles. Contact between the two cultures appears to have been limited to a span of 50 years in which there was sporadic fighting over a mine first occupied by the Tiwanaku. The mine straddled the border between the two cultures' spheres of influence and the Wari attempted, but failed, to secure it for themselves
Sorry this post is a little late!
and I know you said no funny names Mr. Goldberg but... yeah.
The thing that most caught my attention was the woman buried with weapons. This seems odd because no civilization that we have studied gave women much power, especially in the military. What might this show about the civilization and/or the woman in particular?
Also, here is a great site on Tiahuanaco:
http://www.crystalinks.com/tiahuanaco.html
It has several great pictures including maps and also good info.
In order to better understand where the reading was talking about, I googled "Mayan civilization" on images and found this:
http://www.doomsdayguide.org/mayanmap2.gif
It pretty much shows where the Mayans were occupying.
I also decided I'd look into Zach's comment in class about the wheel: did the Mayans have it? Several sources seem to indicate that they did but did not use it for rolling large amounts of cargo with animals. Does this maybe mean they didn't have any animals like buffalo or horses to pull machines that would require wheels? Here is probably the most reliable site:
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamerica/meso/cultures/maya.html
It was recommended by an archaeologist. It has much info about Maya in general and also mentions the wheel.
I was intrested about finding out what the ceiba tree was and tis significance. I found out that the ceiba tree is one of the largest in the Central American Rainforest where many diffrent types of animals call is a home. It is also the Mayan symbol for God of the Heavens.
Picture->http://www.eveandersson.com/photos/guatemala/tikal/ceiba-large.jpg
When I was reading, I thought that it was interesting that the Mayans were so good with time, and I was wondering why they were so accurate. I found this site which explains a few different ways that they kept time including the cyclical 260 day tzolkin(the sacred count). Also ,astronomy was mentioned. How important was astronomy and what ways could they learn more about astronomy? Did they ever entertain the idea that there could be other forms of life outside of their planet?
Sorry this is so late, but I was working out for a majority of the night.
I wonder why no theories about the Mayan downfall have picked up steam. With all the information we have, it surprises me that we know so little about a civilization like the Mayans. I was curious about their famous architecture so I found two links (this
and this
The reading mentioned a little bit about Mayan Language. I decided to look up the origin and how many languages the Mayans had.
At least 6 million people speak the Mayan language. Primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize. In 1996 in Guatemala recognized 21 different Mayan languages and Mexico recognizes 8 more. The Mayan language is one of the best documented and most studied in Americas. Modern Mayan language descended from Proto-Mayan. Proto-Mayan is a language that was spoken at least 5,000 years ago. Mayan languages form part of the Mesoamerican Linguistic Area. Area of linguistic is a convergence developed throughout millennia of interaction between the peoples of Mesoamerica. All Mayan languages display the basic diagnostic traits of this linguistic area.
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