Premium Essay

Mayan Empire Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 666
Pages 3
How did civilizations prior to 1600 obtain, consolidate and maintain power in Africa and the Americas?

Africa, is the third continent by its extension after Asia and America located between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. On the other hand this America is the second largest continent of the earth and extends from the Arctic Ocean to the islands of Diego Ramirez. It is possible to be said that these two continents had enough to see in the creation of the Maya empire, Azteca and Inca, since in specific places of these lands they themselves developed their civilizations.

The Mayan Empire, a civilization developed by the Mayan peoples, was developed between the years 250 and 900AD in Mexico in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Maya were very skilled …show more content…
It is no different to Queen Elizabeth, who was the person to whom Columbus asked for money to be able to navigate. The Maya empire extended to: Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras. They had the Mayan Calendar, which predicted time and space, also used to know when to plant crops and perform religious rituals. Many now wonder what happened to the Maya, there are many theories explaining the end of the Maya, but there is nothing concrete.

The Aztec empire, were people quite developed in the military aspect and identified by making sacrifices of cactus red fruit (which meant human hearts and blood) as a praise to the sun. They were located in Tenochtitlan which was the Aztec capital built on a small island of Lake Texcoco. This empire was maintained during the years 1200 to 1500AD. The Aztecs created the Chinampas that were floating gardens made to expand their limited land.

The Aztec empire prospered because they were located on a lake with little chance of invasion and had the opportunity to fish as a way to feed themselves but this also had its disadvantages as was the probability that the island would sink and that it was also a Setting some distance from mainland. The construction of the Tenochtitlan capital benefited the Aztec empire as this allowed its civilization to expand and acquired much military

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Mayan Civilization

...Name: Nancy Medrano Date: 05/17/2013 Period: 2 Research Paper Outline I. Introduction A.From all ancient civilizations the best known to our knowledge it’s the Mayan Empire B. the Mayan empire has been one of the most impressive empires in our world, beautiful architectural cities, their Mayan calendar and their mysterious disappearance. II. TYPE Body Paragraph 1 Topic: The Mayans A. ORIGIN 1.they settle in Yucatan Mexico are between 2600 BC and 1800 BC in 250 ad and 900 ad they moved down to other cities and build up new buildings .they spread thru central America 2. The cities they lived in where Yucatan Mexico, Guatemala located in Petén B. 3 MAJOR CITIES 1. Tikal a. located in Guatemala central America in the state of Petén it had the largest population of 50,000 to 60,000 . b. it has six temples and its most know it the 2. C. Uxmal city 1. Its located in Yucatan Mexico had around 25,000 Mayan populations around 800 BC one of the most popular temple is the magician temple 2. Story of the magician temple is about a boy D. 1. 2. III. TYPE Body Paragraph II Topic: A. 1. 2. B. 1. 2. C. 1. 2. D. 1. 2. IV. TYPE Body Paragraph III Topic: A. 1. 2. B. 1. 2. C. 1. 2. D. 1. 2. V: TYPE Body Paragraph IV Topic: A. 1. 2. B. 1. 2. C. 1. 2. D. 1. 2. Conclusion: Restate your thesis (using different...

Words: 255 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Mayans Disappearance

...Could you imagine the whole United States just disappearing? That is what happened to the Mayans. In a time span of only one hundred years the whole Maya population was wiped out, there are several theories about what the cause for this decline was. What anthropologists do know for sure is that the Mayans were an ancient mesoamerican civilization dating back to 250 B.C “made up of more than 19 million people”(smithsonian.com). Their empire centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala. The Maya people reached their peak of power around the 6th century A.D. The Mayans were successful in many ways; History.com, a website dedicated to informing the public about important historical information, states, “The Maya excelled at agriculture,...

Words: 1234 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Theories Behind the Disappearance of the Myan Cilization

...Theories Behind the Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization Travis Epling Prof. Aprile Castagna Cappuzzo Introduction to Humanities 2 May 2014 Theories Behind the Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization There are many theories behind the decline of the Mayan Civilization. They range from over-population, war, famine, immigration, deforestation, climate change, and even aliens. When we say the disappearance of the Mayans we do not mean that the culture completely disappeared, we are talking about and extreme reduction in population. Tom Server believes as much as 90 to 95 percent of the population. Many of the major bustling cities of the Mayan Empire such as Tikal, Palenque, and Copan were simply abandoned for, what appears to be, no reason. Many of these theories have been debunked over time with the development of new science technology that allows for more thorough of investigations of these ancient civilizations. The first theory we will visit will be the affects of deforestation which also encompasses part of the climate change theory. NASA archaeologist, Tom Sever(2004) states that , “The Mayan civilization in Mesoamerica was one of the densest populations in human history”. He believes that the population during the height of the Mayan Empire would have been between 1800 and 2600 people per square mile. In 2000, the population density of Los Angeles was around 2300 for a comparison. The extreme amount of people living in the area would have put...

Words: 1215 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

“an Investigation Into the Sacrificial Blood Rituals of the Maya Culture.”

...Extended Essay In World Religions [pic] “An Investigation into the Sacrificial Blood Rituals of the Maya Culture.” Abstract This essay focuses on the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Mayan civilization that spanned from the borders of present day Honduras up to Mexico, but which only a certain amount is truly known. The principal reason why I chose to focus on these people was to challenge myself to try and gain a greater understanding of why they engaged in such strange rituals as bloodletting and even human sacrifice? What prompted them to commit such acts? I proposed that the performance of these actions, as they seemed to be so entwined with their culture, must have had something to do with their religious beliefs but which ones exactly, and how did they originate? It was with this in mind that I conducted an investigation into the sacrificial blood rituals of Maya culture. Thus, from conducting library based research - using books, Encyclopedias and the Internet - I found out that the Mayans had created for themselves a complex Creation Myth and pantheon of gods. It was to supposedly sustain these gods, who were constantly fighting against one another, that the Mayan conducted bloodletting and human sacrifices, believing that in return the gods would provide them the water needed to grow their maize. The gods, replenished by this blood, were able to maintain the harmony of the universe by preventing any one group of...

Words: 8185 - Pages: 33

Premium Essay

Aztec Empire Research Paper

...As we may all know the Aztec empire has been around for many years. It is one of the oldest civilizations in ancient history. The Aztec empire was one of those environment’s where they were in a jungle with thousands of animals and canopies. In this research paper I will be discussing the history of the Aztec empire, the religion, and the architecture & art. The Aztec civilization was established around the 13th century. Some historians believe that the Aztec empire existed between 1345 and 1521 CE. Historians also, believe that before the Aztec empire existed they believe that they started out as a northern tribe. The northern tribe homeland was called Aztlan known as the white land. The Aztecs were also, known as the Tenochtitlan. The Aztec...

Words: 327 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Gg271 Assignment 1

...The ancient Mesoamerica cities of Maya There are 10 annotated bibliographies about the development of ancient Maya sites and each article focuses on different development and origin of the Maya cities. The structure of the political and empire of ancient Maya and the climate atmosphere of the Maya sites were discussed within the articles. The understanding of Maya cities through public building structures along with changing political powers. There were articles about the religions significance of mosaic mirrors and jadeite are also examined throughout the paper. The origin of Maya sites was identified through textile and Nahuatl languages that were found on the architecture walls. The issues of collapse in Maya cities are also identified and discussed in the paper. Blainey, M. G., & Healy, P. S. (2011). Ancient Maya Mosaic Mirrors: Function, Symbolism, and Meaning. Ancient Mesoamerica, v 22, n 2, p 229-244. The article examines the meaning of the mosaic mirrors in ancient Maya through the process of how the mirrors are made and what it is made out of. As mentioned in other article, ancient Maya were creative at art and artifacts. Also, their community were hierarchically organized. Therefore, these well made lithic reflectors were used for ceremonial artifacts and mostly used by elite individuals. These mirrors were flat, shiny objects with highly polished plaques and it has been described as luxury goods which indicate high status for the owner. Furthermore, the...

Words: 2842 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Misrepresentation Of Mesoamerica In Popular Culture

...thing that they had forgotten to develop was the gun, for this is what marked the difference between the Spanish and the natives when the time of conquest came. The story of how Christopher Columbus laid claim of this vast territory for the monarch in Spain is legendary, the debates that presided the invasion has been the subject of countless debates. However, none of these form the core of this paper. The focus in this part of the series will be on how Mesoamerica has been represented in history since its first contact with the western world and how these people have represented themselves throughout this time. This paper takes the position that by and large, western historians, anthropologists and archeologists have often misrepresented the vast pool of interrelated cultures that existed within the time frame in question. The paper will justify this claim by examining the various arguments and counterarguments that have been provided by various scholars in support of their...

Words: 1298 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

History

... The Middle Ages Chuquita Buie A3 Mr. Cleek The middle ages lasted from 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D. Most of the medieval society was based on line of formal personal relationships of honor and fealty between the king and his lords, between the lord and his knights. Life of the Middle Ages all classes was dominated by the feudal system. The jobs and occupations dictated the quality of life during the middle ages. There was plenty of entertainment like: sports, games, music, and dances. Christianity, religion was an important role in their life’s. The monks and nuns spent most of there their time praying meditating, and doing tasks like preparing medicine, or sewing, teaching, writing, and reading. Monks and nuns were very busy and organized. Clothing of peasants was very simple, while the clothing of nobility was fitted with a distinct emphasis on the sleeves of garments. Society may have liked to bathe more than one might expect. Castle residents used wooden tubs with heated from the fire in the great hall. Education was often conducted under the auspices the church. They learned grammar, rhetoric, logic, Latin, astronomy, philosophy, and mathematics formed the care of most curriculums. The students of ten sat together on the floor, scrawling notes from lessons using a bone or ivory stylus on wooden tablets coated with green or black...

Words: 849 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Tatoos

...forearm. Throughout history tattoos have signified membership in a clan or society. For an example, Hells Angels tattoo their particular group symbol. It has been believed that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image. The ferocity of a tiger would belong to the tattooed person. That tradition holds true today shown by the proliferation of images of tigers, snakes, and bird of prey. Egypt is the place where earliest tattoos can be found during the time of the construction of the great pyramids. As they expanded their empire, the art of tattooing spread as well. Around 2000 BC tattooing spread to China. Tattoo was used for the communication among spies in Greek. Romans marked criminals and slaves. This practice is still carried on today. The social status is showed through tattoo by Ainu people of western Asia. In New Zealand a facial style of tattooing called Moko was developed and still being used today. There is evidence that the Mayan, Incas, and Aztecs used tattooing in the rituals. While tattooing diminished in the west, it thrived in Japan. At first, tattoos were used to mark criminals. The Japanese body suit originated around 1700 and only...

Words: 1308 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Honoring Hispanic Heritage

...and gentlemen, and welcome to this celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month. It is my distinct honor to speak to you today. Hispanic culture is deeply intertwined with the history of this Nation. We live on the same side of the world with the largest Spanish speaking population due to our proximity to Mexico, Central, South America and the Caribbean. So it is important to recognize the contributions of the Hispanic culture as well as other cultures to celebrate and acknowledge how the history, culture, values and traditions of the United States were and continue to be shaped by the make-up of its ever changing population profile. When I started to think about what I would say, it occurred to me that perhaps I should do a little research and review history instead of presuming I know everything about my heritage. I am glad I did because I learned many facts that challenged my own understanding of history. I want to share some of these facts with you today. On September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week, observed during the week that included Sept. 15 and Sept. 16. The observance was expanded in 1989 by Congress to a month long celebration (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), America celebrates the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because...

Words: 1488 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Health Traditions and Pratices as It Relates to Health Maintenance in the Culturally Diverseculural

...Health Traditions and Practices as it Relates to Health Maintenance in The Culturally Diverse. M. Gabrielle Kuehl (aka Maria Kuehl) Grand Canyon University NRS-429V August 17, 2014 Promoting a health wellness plan to that effectively addresses the needs of a culturally diverse community, requires heritage based evaluations and considerations to address the varying diverse values, traditions or practices within the family unit. Understanding the family’s cultural heritage in addition to health promoting traditions is key to achieving positive outcomes in the development of an effective health maintenance, protection and restoration wellness plan. Gathering information specific to heritage health values, beliefs and traditions to assist in determining a current health practice baseline, is valuable information to be referred back to throughout the plan. Grand Canyon University substantiates the importance of cultural considerations as mentioned in their lecture regarding cultural competency in nursing by suggesting “Cultural beliefs and values influence health decisions and must be taken into consideration. Therefore, cultural diversity in health education is as important as any other sector of health maintenance.” (Grand Canyon University, 2011, p. 1.). Hence the importance in using an assessment tool in determining a health practice baseline within populations that possess beliefs differing from that of standardized western medicine. The basis for health traditions and...

Words: 1578 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Collapse

...survive. The main characters are historical people and unknown kings of Mayan cities or Easter Island villages. Jared Diamond tells the story of the Viking explorer Erik the Red, who discovered Greeland and Vinland (Terranova, in Canada). Another character is captain Olafsson, a norse sailor who wrote the last news about Greenland in 1410. Another main character is Christopher Columbus, who arrived at Hispaniola in 1492, but now this island is two countries, the Dominican Republic and the Haiti. Diamond studied the politics of two presidents. the dominican Rafael Trujillo, who protected the enviroment and the dictator François, Papa Doc, Duvalier, who decided on politics of deforestatation of his country, Haiti. The author considered the bad politics of another main character, king George II, who was interested in sending merinosheeps from Spain to Australia, an idea which was succesful from 1820 to 1950 but then the farmers understood their lands lost fertility. Another main character is Tokuwaga Jeayasu, a shogun of Japan in 1600, who prohibited Christianity in 1600 and protected his country againt deforestation.  The book takes us to a lot of places around the globe: Mayan cities, Rwanda, Viking colonies of Vinland or Greenland, Haiti and Dominican Republic, Easter Island and Polynesian colonies in Pacific, and the Chaco villages in New Mexico (United States). The time period was from 800 AC, when collapsed Mayan cities to 2005. Other locations are the Viking ships, isolated churches...

Words: 22095 - Pages: 89

Free Essay

Illuminty

...Illuminati's Exposed by Michelle When a few people wish to control and direct a mass of humanity, there are certain key structures that have to be in place. These are the same whether you are seeking to manipulate an individual, family, tribe, town, country, continent, or planet. First, you have to set the "norms", what is considered right and wrong, possible or impossible, sane or insane, good & bad. Most of the people follow those norms without question because of the baa-baa mentality, which has prevailed within the collective human mind for at least thousands of years. Second, you have to make life very unpleasant for those few who challenge your imposed "norms". Those who beat to a different drum like me or voice a different view, or version of the "truth" & lifestyle, stand out like a black sheep in the human herd. Your ancestorial governments/dictators have already conditioned the human herd to accept your norms as reality and so, in their arrogance & ignorance, they then ridicule or condemn those with a different and often times more accurate spin on life. Most of the time, you pressurize those who have a different spin on life to conform and stop free thinking. Parents do this to their children. The self-policing of the human herd goes far deeper than people in uniform or administrators of government. It starts with conditioned parents who impose their conditioning on their children and press ure them to follow their religious, political, economic, and...

Words: 3142 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Ebook

...EVOLUTION AND SELF-INTEREST Richard Dawkins argues that at its most fundamental level, the genetic level, life is self-interested.1 Genes do only one thing; they replicate themselves. These replicators reside in and are carried around by biological vehicles (trees, animals, humans, fungus, etc.). The resources that support these biological vehicles are finite, so the process of life has become a competition among genes to create vehicles that can successfully compete for limited resources and survive to pass on their genetic code. Dawkins coined the term ‘selfish gene’ to emphasize the single, focused object of a gene’s existence. What he means is that the sole purpose of a gene is to make copies of itself using the Darwinian selection process; very selfishly ignoring the consequences this pursuit may have on other living entities. Self-interest is a requirement for survival. This does not mean, of course, that animals and humans cannot be altruistic sometimes, in certain activities.2 It does mean that no living entity can survive for long if it is only purely altruistic. On the other hand, survival is not necessarily jeopardized when an organism is purely self-interested. Altruism, in the absence of self-interest, is not evolutionarily stable in the biological world; it leads to extinction. It is for this reason that all extant life forms must be selfish. Humans, like all creatures, are self-interested; not because it is good to be selfish but because we would not be here if...

Words: 14733 - Pages: 59

Premium Essay

The Economist

...Mexico and the United States The rise of Mexico In this special report • • • • • • • • •   From darkness, dawn   »Señores, start your engines   Bureaucrats and backhanders     A glimmer of hope     The gain before the pain     Stretching the safety net     The ebbing Mexican wave     The other American dream     The 31 banana republics     Sources & acknowledgements   Reprints   America needs to look again at its increasingly important neighbour Nov 24th 2012 | from the print edition NEXT week the leaders of North America’s two most populous countries are due to meet for a neighbourly chat in Washington, DC. The re-elected Barack Obama and Mexico’s president-elect, Enrique Peña Nieto, have plenty to talk about: Mexico is changing in ways that will profoundly affect its big northern neighbour, and unless America rethinks its outdated picture of life across the border, both countries risk forgoing the benefits promised by Mexico’s rise. The White House does not spend much time looking south. During six hours of televised campaign debates this year, neither Mr Obama nor his vice-president mentioned Mexico directly. That is extraordinary. One in ten Mexican citizens lives in the United States. Include their American-born descendants and you have about 33m people (or around a tenth of America’s population). And Mexico itself is more than the bloody appendix of American imaginations. In terms of GDP it ranks just ahead of South Korea. In 2011 the Mexican economy grew faster...

Words: 13319 - Pages: 54