Ancient America

Travel back to a thousand years before the Aztecs, when volcanos obliterated cities, impelling the survivors to find a place of safety. These survivors built the largest city in the Americas and one of the world’s top seven megacities. They erected the highest pyramid in Mexico and apartment compounds for 125,000 people. Teotihuacan stood out as Mesoamerica’s leading metropolis from the third to sixth century CE. Its multi-ethnic population developed coast-to-coast trade, extending south to Central America.

Seven thousand years ago, major climatic change was ushering in a 3,500 year drought. For a small band of pioneers in what is now Wyoming and the Montana Mountains, it was a time of fire. As they struggled valiantly to keep their ancestors’ dreams alive in an unforgiving, drought-stricken land, a heroic young dreamer and a fearless woman warrior united to lead their people to a magnificent destiny.

Venerado por muchas culturas, el «Señor del espejo humeante», uno de los dioses principales del gran Imperio azteca, es también una de las deidades mesoamericanas más interesantes, y a la vez difíciles de entender. Conductor de los destinos del mundo, dador y despojador, patrón de reyes y de esclavos, sembrador de discordias y revelador de pecados, señor de la noche y la oscuridad, primer sol de la creación.

Worshipped by many cultures, one of the main deities of the great Aztec Empire, the “Lord of the Smoking Mirror,” is also one of the most interesting and elusive Mesoamerican deities.

Throughout history, warfare has played an important role in the development of many cultures around the world, and Mesoamerica is no exception. As J.M. Francis and T.M. Leonard noted, “The history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica was one of violence, though no more so than that of any other region of the ancient world. It was a universe of shifting alliances and mutual antagonisms, in which increasingly strong political entities forged themselves and then broke apart". In fact, warfare played an essential role in the formation of Mesoamerica as a cultural area.

Die Kultur der Zapoteken lebte und blühte und weckte das Interesse der spanischen Konquistadoren. Als eine der größten mesoamerikanischen Zivilisationen jener Zeit trugen sie dazu bei die Welt, die die Konquistadoren bei ihrer Ankunft vorfanden, zu formen und zu gestalten. In Größe und Komplexität ihrer Gesellschaft nahmen sie es mit ihren Nachbarn, den Maya, auf. Sie waren Erneuerer und Intellektuelle, die eine Gesellschaft schufen, die den Königreichen und Sozialstrukturen der Maya sehr ähnlich war.

La mitología de la civilización azteca, que gobernó el centro de México en los años 1400 y principios de 1500, representaba una unión de grandeza y pavor. El mundo fue creado y destruido en el mito, y los dioses magníficos lucharon entre sí. todos los dias artículo: color, número, deidad, día de el calendario adquirió un significado particular ya que cada uno estaba vinculado con una deidad. La vida religiosa azteca varió desde manteniendo estatuillas de arcilla del dios en el hogar a asistir a elaboradas ceremonias públicas que involucran sacrificios humanos.

Why would a collector of ancient American artifacts hand over his prized pieces to a historian and then shoot himself in the head? And why does an ancient Templar scroll in his possession refer to Jesus as "The Thief on the Cross"? The answers place historian Cameron Thorne at the dangerous intersection of secret American history and modern geopolitical intrigue.

The Olmec people are widely recognized as the first major civilization of Mexico and are thus generally regarded as the mother civilization of Mesoamerica, making them the people from which all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures derived. Learn about the Olmec, Mayans, Aztecs, and other Mesoamerican cultures in this audiobook

Durante muchos años, los aztecas han capturado nuestra imaginación. Las historias de los invasores europeos originales combinadas con ruinas y leyendas únicas e impresionantes que hablan de palacios de oro crean una imagen de la sociedad azteca definida por la grandeza, la riqueza y el esplendor. Pero, ¿quiénes eran exactamente los aztecas? ¿De dónde vienen? ¿Cómo ascendieron para controlar una extensión tan amplia de tierra? Y si fueron tan poderosos, ¿cómo era posible que cayeran del poder y la dominación solo tres años después del primer contacto con los españoles?

Hay muchos misterios que rodean a los incas. ¿Dónde se originaron? ¿Cómo llegaron a reinar sobre un imperio tan vasto que incluía montañas, selvas tropicales y zonas costeras? ¿Cuáles fueron los logros más destacados de sus grandes reyes? ¿Cómo eran sus templos y monumentos, especialmente la ciudad capital, Cuzco, y su impresionante asentamiento en la cima de la montaña, el Machu Picchu, en lo que hoy es Perú?

The concept of death can be viewed from different perspectives. In general terms, it can be defined as the end of life, but a more spiritual interpretation would describe it as the separation of the soul from the body. Regardless of the definition, death implies change and transformation, even if only on a physical level. The idea of transcendence has served as a source of comfort for humanity that is usually represented in the belief of an afterlife which takes place in another realm.

From the moment Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés first found and confronted them, the Aztecs have fascinated the world, and they continue to hold a unique place both culturally and in pop culture. Nearly 500 years after the Spanish conquered their mighty empire, the Aztecs are often remembered today for their major capital, Tenochtitlan, as well as being fierce conquerors of the Valley of Mexico who often engaged in human sacrifice rituals.

From the fantastic exploits of the Hero Twins to the stories of how the world came to be to folktales about people, animals, and supernatural beings, Maya myth presents us with a fascinating variety of characters, plots, and imagery. All of these tales, whether from an ancient or more modern source, reveal the great richness and beauty of Maya literature. Enjoy this captivating collection of Maya myths.

As I write this in May of 2020, the annual travel season is upon us. There are travel guides on lots of subjects and locations. This book is kind of an unusual travel guide to ancient and (mostly) unusual sites in the USA. Most persons think that the United States doesn’t have much in the way of ancient ruins, and they would be wrong. There are amazing ruins all over the country, and some are not even accepted by conventional archaeology or anthropology as being real. These sites are fascinating and some are mysterious in terms of who built them and when?

America a Prophecy (1793) is the first book in Blake’s Continental Prophecies - the other two being Europe a Prophecy (1794) and The Song of Los (1795). The poem was engraved on 18 plates with illustrations by Blake, and survives in 14 known copies. Written during a time of great political and social upheaval, Blake uses his own complex invented mythology to explore the human need to resist tyranny. His verse is rich in metaphor, powerful, and apocalyptic in scope.

North America boasts a rich history of dinosaurs, with a diverse array of species that once roamed its ancient landscapes. From fearsome predators to gentle herbivores, these creatures left an indelible mark on the continent's geological and paleontological record.

The Inca empire was vast and massive. Yet, still so few people know much about it, aside from what they've heard from vague rumors. But did you know the Inca people showed various similarities to those who came from the Middle East? Did you know that they mummified their dead and built pyramids? Infamous among the historical stories from the Spanish invaders are the evidence of human sacrifice and their polytheistic views on nature and life.

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century, like the Greeks and the Romans, but of all the world's civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. At the heart of the fascination is Chichén Itzá, the most visited Mayan site, but Chichén Itzá's prominence lasted for less than 200 years and was eventually succeeded by Mayapán.

This audiobook explores the glories and misfortunes of the Maya civilization and provides a deeper look at their pre-Columbian battling dynasties and their highly structured approach to religion, science, and society.