Ancient Maya discovered two fundamental ideas in mathematics: positional value and the concept of zero. This feat was accomplished by only one other great culture of antiquity, the Hindu. But they did it 300 years or so after the Maya. These two elements, positional value and zero, might be considered simple and basic concepts nowadays. […]
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The ancient Maya achieved compelling and impressive socio-economic complexity during pre-conquest period. Extraordinary ancient cities such as Tikal and Caracol are scattered through out eastern Mexico and Guatemala. These economic centers exemplify the economic might and wealth of the ancient civilization. How did the ancient Maya attain such great affluence? The development of an extensive […]
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Many Mexicans, especially campesinos, who are closer to the land than most, believe that the weather during the month of January serves as a long-range forecast for the entire year. The precise prediction system is thought to be based on long cycles of observations carried out in an age when people depended far more on […]
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ROMANS in Mexico? I’ve always tried to maintain an open-minded attitude towards history, but even I was incredulous when I first heard this suggestion. And you certainly won’t find it in most history books! Could it possibly be true? The evidence comes from the Mayan site at Comalcalco, in the swampy Gulf coast state of Tabasco. […]
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AuthorHouse (Bloomington, Indiana), 2009 Available from Amazon Books: Paperback Temples of the Mist is for teenagers and about teenagers. Seventeen-year-old Caleana and her thirteen-year-old brother Marsh were part of a happy family, a California beach-town family that had a “deep longing to make a difference in the world,” a family where the mother practiced yoga and wrote […]
Continue ReadingIt’s unusual for me to write about anything other than Mexico as seen through the eyes of a humorist. But this month’s article is different, because someone familiar with the culture around which Gibson’s film revolves, has passionately commented on its alleged authenticity, and her opinion should be available to expatriates living in Mexico. The […]
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I’m sick and tired of hearing disagreements between the U.S.A. and Mexico. First, there’s the emigration thing with fences and coyotes and blustering politicians; second is the drug thing where the U.S. blames Mexico for their own addictive population; and now the U.S. is blaming the Maya for a prophesied 2012 doomsday scenario. Let’s take […]
Continue ReadingThe Maya Civilization Historical Conflict Part 2 (To Part 1) “Just because of the crazy times, because of the crazy priests, is it that sadness overtook us, that ‘Christianity’ overcame us. Because the ‘very Christians’ came here with the true God, but that was the beginning of our misery, the beginning of the tribute… the […]
Continue ReadingNo hay verdad en las palabras de los extranjeros. Chilam Balam de Chumayel Las noticias nos llegan todos los días. Denuncias de movimientos del ejército mexicano en Chiapas; pronunciamientos y declaraciones de diferentes grupos y líderes; comisiones de paz que nacen y mueren como las flores del campo. Violencia y matanzas. Injusticia y opresión. Artículos […]
Continue ReadingEl libro del Chilam Balam de Chumayel es el más importante de los códices o manuscritos propiamente mayas que hasta hoy se conocen. Este libro recoge tradiciones orales de la historia maya; parte de ella, la llegada de los españoles al país: “Solamente por el tiempo loco, por los locos sacerdotes, fue que entró en […]
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