Encyclopedia - Mesoamerica: Encyclopedia - Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of strat...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Obsidian Use In Mesoamerica: Encyclopedia Ii - Obsidian Use In Mesoamerica - Value
Obsidian was widely distributed throughout Mesoamerica by trade. Its importance to Mesoamerican societies has been compared to the value ...   » Read the article

Dictionary - Mesoamerica: Social Studies Dictionary - Mesoamerica
Definition and meaning of Mesoamerica   Mesoamerica - [World History] Mesoamerica includes Mexico and Central America. Sedenta...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of The Americas - Mesoamerica
See major articles: History of Central America and History of the Caribbean The Zapotec emerged around 1500 years BC. Their writing syst...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - Mesoamerica
History of astronomy - Maya civilization. The Maya calculated the solar year to somewhat greater accuracy than the Gregorian calendar. ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Classification Schemes For Indigenous Languages Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - Classification Schemes For Indigenous Languages Of The Americas - Mesoamerica
(Consensus conservative classification) FAMILIES Uto-Aztecan (Other branches outside Mesoamerica. See North America) Corachol (Cora-...   » Read the article

Article - Mayan Calendar: About Materialist And Spiritual Calendars
Carl-Johan Calleman is an internationally recognized authority in the studies of the Mayan Calendar. He has appeared in Swedish, Finnish ...   » Read the article

Article - Sweat Lodge: Temazcal I/iii - The Traditional Mexican Sweat Bath
The Native American Sweat Lodge, Temazcal, is an ancient practice from the native indians of America; a sacred ritual for Healing and Pu...   » Read the article

Article - Sweat Lodge: Temazcal Ii/iii - Mexican Method Of Sweat Baths For Curative Purposes
The Native American Sweat Lodge, Temazcal, is an ancient practice from the native indians of America; a sacred ritual for Healing and Pu...   » Read the article

Article - Temazcal Iii/iii - Preparation Of The Temazcal
The Native American Sweat Lodge, Temazcal, is an ancient practice from the native indians of America; a sacred ritual for Healing and Pu...   » Read the article

Article - Mayan Calendar: What Is Driving The Evolution Of Consciousness Described By The Mayan Calendar? - I
How is the Mayan Long Count to be explained? Why did this ancient people, that were the most mathematically advanced of their day, choose...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Crucifixion: Encyclopedia - Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross (Latin: crux) and left to hang...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia - Mythology
The word mythology (from the Greek μυϑολογία mythología, "storytelling" [1]) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Classification Of Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas: Encyclopedia - Classification Of Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas
Ethnographers commonly classify indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada into ten geographical regions with shared cultural tra...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Archeology Of The Americas: Encyclopedia - Archeology Of The Americas
The Archeology of the Americas is the study of the archaeology of North America, Central America (or Mesoamerica), South America and the ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - University Of Pennsylvania Museum Of Archaeology And Anthropology: Encyclopedia - University Of Pennsylvania Museum Of Archaeology And Anthropology
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology is an archaeology and anthropology museum that is part of the Univer...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Barkeria: Encyclopedia - Barkeria
Barkeria is a genus of orchids originating from Mexico, comprising about 15 species. This genus was once considered part of Epidendrum. T...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Quetzalcoatl: Encyclopedia - Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl ("feathered snake", in Nahuatl: Ketsalkoatl, in Spanish: Quetzalcóatl) is the Nahuatl name for the Feathered-Serpent deity ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Auítzotl: Encyclopedia - Auítzotl
Auítzotl (sometimes rendered as Ahuitzotl or Axayacatl) was the eighth Aztec ruler, the Chief Speaker, of the city of Tenochtitlán. He ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mexican Hairless Dog: Encyclopedia - Mexican Hairless Dog
The Mexican Hairless Dog is a rare, (almost) hairless breed of dog which can be quite variable in size. It's also known as Xoloitzcuintl...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Chaac: Encyclopedia - Chaac
Chaac (also rendered as Chaak or Chac) is an important deity in the pantheon of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. In Ma...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ulama Game: Encyclopedia - Ulama Game
Ulama is a ball game played in Latin America, a variety of the Mesoamerican ballgame descended from an Aztec game ritual. The game is one...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Veintena: Encyclopedia - Veintena
A veintena is a subdivision used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican calendars, consisting of a 20-day period. The division is often casually r...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Aztec Calendar: Encyclopedia - Aztec Calendar
The Aztec calendar was the calendar of the Aztec people of Pre-Columbian Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the bas...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Black Mexican: Encyclopedia - Black Mexican
The term Black Mexican is how Americans refer to Mexican citizens who are of African descent. Better known as Afro-Mexicans. Afro Mexican...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Common Bean: Encyclopedia - Common Bean
The common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, indigenous to the Americas, is an herbaceous annual plant domesticated independently in ancient Meso...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Maya Calendar: Encyclopedia - Maya Calendar
The Maya calendar is actually a system of distinct calendars and almanacs used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Obsidian Use In Mesoamerica: Encyclopedia Ii - Obsidian Use In Mesoamerica - Practical And Ritual Obsidian Use
Almost no site in Mesoamerica is without obsidian, called "Itztli" in the Nahuatl language. It was an item that had both frequent, common...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Obsidian Use In Mesoamerica: Encyclopedia Ii - Obsidian Use In Mesoamerica - Production And Techniques
Obsidian is relatively easy to work, aiding its prolific use throughout Mesoamerica. Obsidian is obtained by quarrying a source site. Pie...   » Read the article

Dictionary - Mesoamerica: Social Studies Dictionary - Mesoamerica
Definition and meaning of Mesoamerica   Mesoamerica - [World History] Mesoamerica includes Mexico and Central America. Sedenta...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of The Americas - Migration Into The Continents
Exactly when the first group of people migrated into the America's is subject to much debate. Recent archaeological finds suggest multipl...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of The Americas - North America
See major article: History of North America Living conditions were that of large stone apartment like adobe structures. They live in Ari...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of The Americas - Civilizations
Civilizations were started long after migration. Several large, centralized civilizations developed in the Western Hemisphere (e.g., the ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of The Americas - South America
See major article: History of South America The Chavín established a trade network and developed agriculture by as early as (or late co...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of The Americas - European Discovery And Following Colonization
Thousands of years after the Indians arrived, the continent was rediscovered by Europeans. Initially the Vikings established a short-live...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Crucifixion: Encyclopedia Ii - Crucifixion - Location Of The Nails
For the sake of expediency, the victim was probably affixed to the cross by ropes, nails, or some combination of the two. In popular depi...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Crucifixion: Encyclopedia Ii - Crucifixion - Archeological Evidence For Ancient Crucifixion
Despite the fact that the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, as well as other sources, refer to the crucifixion of thousands of people by...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Crucifixion: Encyclopedia Ii - Crucifixion - Modern Crucifixions Without Death
Crucifixion - Crucifixion as a devotional practice. Since at least the mid-1800s, a group of Catholic flagellants in New Mexico called ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - East Asia
History of astronomy - China. Ancient Chinese Astronomy dates back before Christ. Chinese Astronomers were to be able to predict comets...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - Mesopotamia
History of astronomy - Sumer. History of astronomy - Chaldea Babylonia. ... See also:History of astronomy, History of astronomy - A...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - What Is Mythology?
In order to consider mythology, it is first necessary to consider what is meant by the term myth. The ancient Greek Μυθος originally...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - Middle Ages
Greeks made some important contributions to astronomy, but the progress was mostly stagnant in medieval Europe, while it flourished in th...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - The Copernican Revolution
The renaissance came to astronomy with the work of Copernicus, who proposed a heliocentric system. His work was defended, expanded upon a...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - Modern Astronomy
At the end of the 19th century it was discovered that, when decomposing the light from the sun, a multitude of spectral lines were observ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - Cosmology And The Expansion Of The Universe
Most of our current knowledge was gained during the 20th century. With the help of the use of photography, fainter objects were observed....   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Olmec: Encyclopedia Ii - Olmec - Olmec Art
Much Olmec art is highly stylized and uses an iconography reflective of the religious meaning of the artworks. Some Olmec art, however, i...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - New Windows Into The Cosmos Open
Late in the 19th century, scientists began discovering forms of light which were invisible to the naked eye: X-Rays, gamma rays, radio wa...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - Ancient History
Early cultures identifed celestial objects with gods and spirits. They related these objects (and their movements) to phenomena such as r...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - Definition
In order to consider mythology, it is first necessary to consider what is meant by the term myth. Myths are generally narratives passed d...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - History Of Astronomy: Encyclopedia Ii - History Of Astronomy - India
See also: Hindu astronomy There are astronomical references of chronological significance in the Vedas. Some Vedic notices mark the begin...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - Religion And Mythology
Mythology figures prominently in most religions, and most mythology is tied to at least one religion. Some use the words myth and mytholo...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - Related Concepts
A fairy tale itself is not a myth. Myths are not the same as fables, legends, folktales, fairy tales, anecdotes or fiction, but sloppy us...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - University Of Pennsylvania Museum Of Archaeology And Anthropology: Encyclopedia Ii - University Of Pennsylvania Museum Of Archaeology And Anthropology - History
The UPM, as it is commonly known, was founded in 1887. During the early 20th century, the UPM conducted some of the first and most import...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - University Of Pennsylvania Museum Of Archaeology And Anthropology: Encyclopedia Ii - University Of Pennsylvania Museum Of Archaeology And Anthropology - Collections
The UPM features a variety of comprehensive collections including galleries of artifacts from Egypt, China and Mesopotamia. Other highlig...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - Formation Of Myths
What forces create myths? Robert Graves said of Greek myth: "True myth may be defined as the reduction to narrative shorthand of ritual m...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Classification Of Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - Classification Of Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas - United States And Canada
Ethnographers commonly classify indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada into ten geographical regions with shared cultural tra...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - Myths As Depictions Of Historical Events
Although myths are often considered to be accounts of events that have not happened, many historians consider that myths can also be acco...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - Modern Mythology
Film and book series like Star Wars and Tarzan have strong mythological aspects that sometimes develop into deep and intricate philosophi...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mythology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mythology - Myths By Region
Mythology - Africa. Akamba mythology - Akan mythology - Alur mythology - Ashanti mythology - Bambara mythology - Bambuti mythology - B...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Classification Of Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - Classification Of Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas - Central And South America
The indigenous peoples of Central and South America are generally classified by language, environment, and cultural similarities. Classi...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Olmec: Encyclopedia Ii - Olmec - Overview
The Olmec homeland is characterized by swampy lowlands punctuated by low hill ridges and volcanoes. The Olmec response to this environmen...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Olmec: Encyclopedia Ii - Olmec - History
Olmec - Early History. Olmec culture originated at its base in San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, where distinctively Olmec features begin to em...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Olmec: Encyclopedia Ii - Olmec - Mathematics
The late Olmec had already begun to use a true zero (a shell glyph) several centuries before Ptolemy (possibly by the fourth century BC) ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Olmec: Encyclopedia Ii - Olmec - Mormon Speculation
Some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have suggested that the Olmecs may be the Jaredites recorded in...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Classification Schemes For Indigenous Languages Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - Classification Schemes For Indigenous Languages Of The Americas - North America
Classification schemes for indigenous languages of the Americas - Gallatin 1836. (Current terminology is indicated parenthetically in...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Classification Schemes For Indigenous Languages Of The Americas: Encyclopedia Ii - Classification Schemes For Indigenous Languages Of The Americas - South America
Classification schemes for indigenous languages of the Americas - Kaufman 1990. Terrence Kaufman's classification is meant to be a rat...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Crucifixion: Encyclopedia Ii - Crucifixion - History Of Crucifixion
Crucifixion - Persia and Alexander. Crucifixion probably originated with ancient Persians. There is evidence that captured pirates were...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Crucifixion: Encyclopedia Ii - Crucifixion - Details Of Crucifixion
Crucifixion was hardly (if ever) performed for ritual or symbolic reasons; usually, its purpose was only to provide a particularly painfu...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ulama Game: Encyclopedia Ii - Ulama Game - History
The word Ulama comes from the Nahuatl word ullamaliztli ("ballgame"). In its heyday in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, ulama was played by the...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Lima Bean: Encyclopedia Ii - Lima Bean - Origin Distribution And Varieties
The lima bean is of Andean and Mesoamerican origin. Two separate domestication events are believed to have occurred. The first, taking pl...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Opal: Encyclopedia Ii - Opal - Sources Of Opal
About 95% of the world's opal comes from Australia. In particular, the town of Coober Pedy in South Australia is a major source. Common, ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Diffusionism: Encyclopedia Ii - Diffusionism - Problems
However diffusionism is a problematic theory for various reasons. It is difficult to demonstrate that an innovation must have had a singl...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Quetzalcoatl: Encyclopedia Ii - Quetzalcoatl - Origins
The cult to the serpent in Mesoamerica is very old; there are representation of snakes with bird like characteristics as old as the olmec...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Cocoa: Encyclopedia Ii - Cocoa - History
Chocolate and cocoa are made from the beans of the cacao tree, which apparently originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon an...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Ancient Mesoamerican Agriculture: Encyclopedia Ii - Ancient Mesoamerican Agriculture - Crops
The origin of maize is still not completely known. Richard MacNeish has done an extensive archaeological survey of Mesoamerica, and deter...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Cigar: Encyclopedia Ii - Cigar - History
Cigar - Origins. The indigenous inhabitants of the islands of the Caribbean Sea and Mesoamerica have smoked cigars since at least the 9...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Cholula: Encyclopedia Ii - Cholula - History
Cholula was an important city of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, dating back to at least the 2nd century BC, with settlement as a village goin...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Copán: Encyclopedia Ii - Copán - Description Of The Ruins
The site in Copan is perhaps best known for producing a remarkable series of portrait stelae, most of which were placed along processiona...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Archaic Stage: Encyclopedia Ii - Archaic Stage - Southern North America
In Mesoamerica, the Mexican Archaic lasted from c. 9500 BC to 2500 BC and it was here that nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers first began...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Black Mexican: Encyclopedia Ii - Black Mexican - History
When the Spanish first arrived in Mesoamerica, they brought slaves with them. African slaves acted as servants to their Spanish masters i...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Aztec: Encyclopedia Ii - Aztec - Human Sacrifice
Main article: Human sacrifice in Aztec culture For milenia, the practice of human sacrifice was widespread in Mesoamerica and South Ameri...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Teotihuacan Spider Woman: Encyclopedia Ii - Teotihuacan Spider Woman - Domain
This Spider Woman is now thought to have been a goddess of the underworld, darkness, the earth, water, war, and possibly even creation it...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Hot Chocolate: Encyclopedia Ii - Hot Chocolate - History
The first users of cacao were most likely the Olmecs, a Native American people of Mesoamerica and the oldest civilization of The Americas...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Vanilla: Encyclopedia Ii - Vanilla - History
Vanilla was a highly regarded flavoring in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and was brought back to Europe (and from there the rest of the worl...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Kokopelli: Encyclopedia Ii - Kokopelli - Origins And Development
Kokopelli has been worshipped since at least the time of the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. The first known images of him appear on Hohokam pott...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Quetzalcoatl: Encyclopedia Ii - Quetzalcoatl - Antecedents
The name "Quetzalcoatl" literally means quetzal-bird snake or serpent with feathers (Amphitere) of the Quetzal (which implies something d...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mesoamerican Chronology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mesoamerican Chronology - Classic Era
c. mid 2nd century - early 10th century Teotihuacan grows to a metropolis and its empire dominates Mesoamerica. The greatest era of the c...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Human Sacrifice: Encyclopedia Ii - Human Sacrifice - Mesoamerican Sacrifice
Some of the most famous forms of ancient human sacrifice were performed by various Pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica. Aztec: ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Human Sacrifice In Aztec Culture: Encyclopedia Ii - Human Sacrifice In Aztec Culture - The Sacrifice
Not all Mesoamerican sacrifices involved human sacrifice. Most cultures of Mesoamerica gave some kind of offerings to the gods and the sa...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Xochicalco: Encyclopedia Ii - Xochicalco - Monuments
Of special interest are sculptured reliefs on the sides of some buildings. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent has fine stylized depictio...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Pipil: Encyclopedia Ii - Pipil - History
The prehistoric and modern Pipil are from at least three separate cultural and language groups that were loosely joined by conquest and l...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Aztec Entheogenic Complex: Encyclopedia Ii - Aztec Entheogenic Complex - History
There are many pieces of archaeological evidence in reference to the use of entheogens early in the history of Mesoamerica. Olmec burial ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Mesoamerican Chronology: Encyclopedia Ii - Mesoamerican Chronology - Post-classic Era
10th century - 16th century. Collapse of many of the great nations and cities of the Classic Era, although some continue, such as in Oaxa...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Gaelic Handball: Encyclopedia Ii - Gaelic Handball - History
Handball-like games have originated in several places at different times. Hieroglyphs in the temple of Osiris in Egypt portray priests ta...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Psilocybe: Encyclopedia Ii - Psilocybe - History And Ethnography
Hallucinogenic species of Psilocybe have a long history of use among the native peoples of Mesoamerica for religious communion, divinatio...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Marimba: Encyclopedia Ii - Marimba - The Folk Instrument
The term marimba is also used to refer to various traditional folk instruments, the precursors of which may have developed independently ...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Quetzalcoatl: Encyclopedia Ii - Quetzalcoatl - Antecedents
The name "Quetzalcoatl" literally means quetzal-bird snake or serpent with feathers (Amphitere) of the Quetzal (which implies something d...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Nahuatl Language: Encyclopedia Ii - Nahuatl Language - Vocabulary
Nahuatl language - Words loaned to other languages. Main article: words of Nahuatl origin Nahuatl has been an exceedingly rich source...   » Read the article

Encyclopedia - Aztec Entheogenic Complex: Encyclopedia Ii - Aztec Entheogenic Complex - Teoanácatl
Known as teonanácatl, or "flesh of the gods," the psilocybe species of mushroom has a long history of use within Mesoamerica. The member...   » Read the article

Article - Mayan Calendar: The Classical Mayan Tzolkin Count And The Dreamspell
During the past decade interest in the Calendars of the Maya has dramatically increased world-wide. Ultimately, this increasing interest ...   » Read the article