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|  Essay on The Survival of the Maya |
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| The Survival of the Maya Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on Sociology. Throughout the long history of the Maya, the powerful and wealthy city-states were built through the intense labor of the common workers. The cities thrived, and their people ate the maize and beans the farmers grew. But eventually, one by one, all of the great Maya cities and city-states collapsed and were abandoned. The farmers in many cases were forced to move to another location, mainly to be around a secure water source. In many of the Peten (Guatemala) regions, farming communities were either severely reduced by malnutrition and disease after the decline of the city-states, or the people simply moved away. In the northern Yucatan lowlands, and in isolated areas throughout the Maya world, the rise... |
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| Essay on The Survival of the Maya » |
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| Essay on The Rise of the Aztecs |
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| The Rise of the Aztecs The Aztec empire was at its peak when the Spanish conquistadores arrived in 1519. The first soldiers who arrived with the expedition of Spanish commander Hernan Cortes (1485-1547) were amazed by the civilization they found in the Valley of Mexico. The size, magnificence, beauty, wealth, order, cleanliness, and sophistication of the capital city of Tenochtitlan rivaled the top European cities of the time, and outdid them in many ways. At the same time, however, the conquistadors were horrified by the massive human sacrifices practiced by the Aztecs, usually in very gruesome ways. Many noted (as most people still do today) the odd combination of sophistication and brutality of the Aztecs. Few of the Spanish conquistadores who described the Aztecs noted... |
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| Essay on The Rise of the Aztecs » |
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| Essay on The Modern Descendents of Aztecs |
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| The Modern Descendents of Aztecs Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on Sociology. Experts estimate there are about 1.5 million descendants of the Aztec empire living in Mexico in the twenty-first century. Some speak only Spanish, some speak only Nahuatl, and others speak both languages fluently. The Nahuatl spoken in the twenty-first century has been heavily influenced by Spanish, and Spanish has also been influenced by Nahuatl. Many of the customs and arts found in present-day Mexico are also a cross between native and Spanish cultures. A good example of the blend of Aztec and Spanish cultures is the celebration of the Days of the Dead (in Spanish, "Los dias de los muertos") beginning on October 31 and running through November 2 every year. Days of the Dead traditions go back... |
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| Essay on The Modern Descendents of Aztecs » |
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| Essay on The Aztec Empire: 1427 to 1521 |
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| The Aztec Empire: 1427 to 1521 Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. At the end of their first hundred years in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec kings were still under the control of the Tepanec emperors of Azcapotzalco. With the help of Aztec warriors the Tepanecs had become the most powerful people of the Valley of Mexico. The arrangement between the Aztecs and Tepanecs had been satisfactory to both for many years, but as Tenochtitlan grew in power, its leaders wanted to rule the valley. The Tepanec leaders, fearing the increasing power of the Aztecs, tried to suppress them, demanding greater amounts of tribute. The Alcohuans, a Nahuatl-speaking (the language spoken by the Aztecs and many other groups in the Valley of Mexico) people who had migrated to the... |
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| Essay on The Aztec Empire: 1427 to 1521 » |
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| Essay on The First Mesoamerican Calendar Systems |
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| The First Mesoamerican Calendar Systems Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on Sociology. Based on the evidence available, it appears the earliest writing in Mesoamerica stemmed from attempts to put a date and name on carvings of defeated enemies or victorious battles. No one knows for certain where the first calendar systems arose in Mesoamerica, but two very likely places are the Olmec heartland (the central region of a cultural group, where their traditional values and customs are practiced) and Monte Alban. Every Mesoamerican society from the Olmecs forward used a calendar system that combined two calendars: the sacred 260-day calendar and the practical 365-day solar calendar. The 260-day calendar was composed of 20 consecutive day-names combined with the numerals 1 to 13... |
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| Essay on The First Mesoamerican Calendar Systems » |
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| Essay on Hernan Cortes and The Conquistadores |
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| Hernan Cortes and The Conquistadores Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. Hernan Cortes and the men who joined him in the expedition to "explore" Mexico were not professional navigators and explorers. They were not soldiers of the Spanish military, nor did they work for the Spanish or provincial New World (the Americas) governments. The expedition was financed privately, and the men who joined it were carpenters, blacksmiths, doctors, and others. Cortes himself was a notary by trade. Although the Cuban governor gave them permission to explore and trade along the coast of Mexico, Cortes and his crew had much more than exploring in mind, as crewmember Bernal Diaz (del Castillo; c. 1492-1584) expressed in his memoirs, The Conquest of New Spain... |
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| Essay on Hernan Cortes and The Conquistadores » |
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| Essay on War and Warriors in Aztec Empire |
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| War and Warriors in Aztec Empire Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on Sociology. Every man in the Aztec empire was expected to fight in the wars, from the emperor down to the common people. Constant war was central to the day-to-day operations of the empire; war was, in effect, the empire's purpose. The economy of Tenochtitlan depended upon the constant receipt of tribute from conquered lands. In addition, the religion of the Aztecs required massive human sacrifice to keep the sun rising and to satisfy the gods to prevent the final destruction of the earth. Prisoners of war brought home by Aztec soldiers were sacrificed on the temple steps, and they were believed to be vital to the very existence of the Aztec civilization. In early times, Aztecs may have waged wars to conquer... |
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| Essay on War and Warriors in Aztec Empire » |
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| Essay on The Aztec Expansion Throughout Mexico |
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| The Aztec Expansion Throughout Mexico Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. The Aztecs were not content to remain in the Valley of Mexico, and within decades of forming the Triple Alliance their armies had conquered most of central and southern Mexico. The Aztecs never controlled any of the Maya lands, nor did they ever conquer the southern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Nevertheless, their empire covered a vast area compared to the size of many large European nations. Unlike the European nations, however, the Triple Alliance did not actually rule most of the peoples it conquered. Instead the empire installed an official tax collector in the conquered city or center and expected prompt payment of tribute on a regular basis. Submitting to the Aztecs... |
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| Essay on The Aztec Expansion Throughout Mexico » |
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| Essay on The Background of Aztec Civilization |
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| The Background of Aztec Civilization Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. Much of what follows is taken from the Aztecs' accounts of their own history as they had learned it and passed it along from generation to generation; however, much of this history may have come from the Spanish conquistadores and missionaries of the sixteenth century. There are many conflicts among the different versions of the history, and yet many of the events described have been verified by other historical and archaeological records. It is impossible to separate what many people consider the distinct fields of mythology and history included in the accounts. The ancient historians did not distinguish between religion and fact in the way most historians do in the... |
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| Essay on The Background of Aztec Civilization » |
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| Essay on The Toltec Civilization |
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| The Toltec Civilization Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. Much of what is known about the Toltecs comes from the Aztecs, who later succeeded the Toltecs as the rulers of the Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs revered the Toltecs and, when interviewed by the conquering Spanish in the sixteenth century, told a detailed history of Toltec heroism. The Aztecs frequently portrayed the Toltecs idealistically as the great masters of nearly everything they did: architecture, the arts, religious worship, and warfare. In fact, the Aztec reports often credited all the inventions and triumphs of the Mesoamerican past to the Toltecs. Spanish missionary Fray Bernardino de Sahagun (c. 1500-1590), who interviewed the Aztecs and wrote down their stories in the mid-sixteenth century... |
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| Essay on The Toltec Civilization » |
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| Essay on The Spanish Conquest of Maya |
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| The Spanish Conquest of Maya Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. When the Spanish arrived in the Maya world in the early sixteenth century, the Maya were in a weakened state. Their large cities had been abandoned and they had divided into small groups who sometimes fought amongst themselves. Despite these skirmishes, the Maya still put up fierce resistance when Spanish explorer Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba (c. 1475-1525) arrived in the Yucatan in 1517. De Cordoba wanted to replace slaves who had died during his travels in Cuba; the Maya resisted and defeated de Cordoba, killing him in battle and forcing his troops to flee. The Maya victory against the gun-bearing Europeans, however, could not save them from the spread of the terrible diseases... |
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| Essay on The Spanish Conquest of Maya » |
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| Essay on Rediscovering The Ancient Mayan Cities |
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| Rediscovering The Ancient Mayan Cities Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. In 1839 John Lloyd Stephens (1805-1852), a U.S. travel writer and lawyer with a fascination for ancient sites, arranged a trip to Central America with his friend and partner, English architect and artist Frederick Catherwood (1799-1854). The two men had heard rumors of mysterious ancient temples hidden deep within the rain forests (dense, tropical woodlands that receive a great quantity of rain throughout the year) and were determined to find them. Landing at Belize, Stephens and Catherwood made their way to Guatemala and then traveled by mule across difficult mountain passages to reach the rain forests of northern Honduras. It was an exhausting trip, traveling through the overgrown... |
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| Essay on Rediscovering The Ancient Mayan Cities » |
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| Essay on The Olmec Civilization |
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| The Olmec Civilization Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. Because there are no written records from Olmec times to be deciphered and so many artifacts were lost before archaeologists could analyze them, little is known of Olmec history. The earliest Olmec society arose in San Lorenzo in 1700 B.C.E. Most of the common people around the site were maize farmers, but a very profitable trade network was established in San Lorenzo as well. From about 1500 B.C.E. onward, the population grew and so did imports of basalt, greenstone, and obsidian from far off places. As trade grew, it is likely a few family groups profited more than others. These people grabbed the best land for themselves and began to exercise more and more power over others. These few powerful... |
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| Essay on The Olmec Civilization » |
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| Essay on Inca Government and Economy |
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| Inca Government and Economy Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. When the Incas began their rise to power in the Cuzco Valley in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, they were one small ethnic group among many. Then, in 1438, Inca king Pachacutec defeated a powerful enemy, the Chancas, and forced the defeated state to provide thousands of soldiers to expand his armies. With a much larger army, the Incas were able to conquer additional territories. From the Incas' conquest of the Chancas until the Spanish conquest of the Incas in 1533, the Inca empire grew into a vast and heavily populated state. The empire had a complex system of government and a unique economy that continue to fascinate scholars and politicians in the twenty-first century... |
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| Essay on Inca Government and Economy » |
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| Essay on The Inca Civilization |
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| The Inca Civilization Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. While many people have never heard of the early cultures of the Andean region, like the Chavin, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari , and Chimu, that existed before the Inca empire, most people know something about the Incas. That is at least partly because when the Spanish arrived in South America in the early 1530s, they found one wealthy and powerful empire, rather than many small states descending from the earlier cultures. In a mere ninety-five years between 1438 and 1533, the Incas spread their empire over almost 3,000 miles (4,827 kilometers) of western South America, unifying the highly diverse populations in the vast region under their control. In truth, the Incas were not the originators of many of the... |
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| Essay on The Inca Civilization » |
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| Research Paper on The Early Mesoamerican Civilizations |
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| The Early American Civilizations Research Paper, Custom Essays and Term Papers Writing on History. When the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes (1485-1547) arrived at the great Aztec (more properly known as the Mexica) capital city of Tenochtitlan in 1519, two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand people lived there. The city was built on a series of islands in the center of Lake Texcoco and was connected to the mainland by three major causeways (roads built like bridges over the water that connected the island to the shore). Cortes and many of his escorts wrote of the beauty and the wonders of the city, including its grand religious temples and monuments and other impressive architecture, its orderly streets and canals, and its floating gardens called chinampas... |
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| Research Paper on The Early Mesoamerican Civilizations » |
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