On a huge hill, covered with weeds, small trees and debris, was built a church overlooking the city, the Sanctuary de los Remedies. It is a beautiful site, with the towered church silhouetted against the blue sky and the snow-capped peaks of Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl in the background. It was discovered that this was not […]
Continue ReadingThe pre-Hispanic history of Mexico is contained in the numerous pictorial codices or painted hieroglyphic books produced by the Aztecs, the Maya, the Mixtecs, and others. Unfortunately, very few pre-Conquest codices survived the Spanish Conquest and the destruction of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán in 1521. Of course we have the early writings of the […]
Continue ReadingThe Maya, Aztecs, and other peoples of ancient Mexico had a very strong sense of their own history, which they went to great lengths to preserve. But in some ways, their concept of history differed radically from that of the invading Spaniards and later historians who wrote the history of Mexico from the European viewpoint. […]
Continue ReadingThe history of Mexico has generally been written by outsiders, Spanish Conquistadors, Catholic missionaries, and most recently by archaeologists and anthropologists. Consequently Western ideas of historiography have dominated the writing of this history. Our concept of history, along with its method and purpose, begins with the ancient Greeks, although different historians may approach the subject […]
Continue ReadingOne man’s history is another man’s myth. Voltaire The Maya and the Aztecs, among others, developed many different forms of literature long before the arrival of the Spaniards. They were also deeply involved in the careful measurement of time and produced a complex, advanced calendrical system. Not surprisingly, chronicles and histories were an important part […]
Continue ReadingHistory is generally written from the standpoint of the victors or the dominant society. Consequently the other side of the story is hardly ever told in full. This is especially true of Mexico, although the balance is now being redressed to some extent through improved translation and interpretation of native sources. Advances in the decipherment […]
Continue ReadingEver since the discovery of “lost” cities in the jungles and rain forests of Middle America, theories about the origins of Mesoamerican civilizations have proliferated at a great rate and there is no end in sight. Books, articles, Internet postings about the supposed origins of the Olmecs, the Maya, the Aztecs and others have turned […]
Continue ReadingMexico is an endlessly fascinating country for those who take the time and trouble to delve a little more deeply into the mysteries of our “Unknown Mexico.” Dedicated amateurs and professional scholars alike have produced countless articles and books on almost every facet of Mexican culture and history past and present. It would seem that […]
Continue ReadingControversy is a fact of life. Complete agreement on any subject is hardly to be expected. The study of Maya hieroglyphs is no exception. In fact, scholarly differences of opinion can be just as vicious as political infighting. While most Maya scholars and researchers acknowledge the importance of the breakthrough in the decipherment of the […]
Continue ReadingIn the last column we looked briefly at the history of the decipherment of the Maya hieroglyphic writing system and some of the modern myths about the ancient Maya propagated by certain popular writers, such as J. M. Jenkins ( Galactic Alignment theory) and J. Argüelles ( Dreamspell Calendar). My purpose was not simply to discredit these popular […]
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