Gingerbread Man Cutter

The climate of the Maya enemy

"little benign climate helped shape civilization." This is a statement by British anthropologist Brian Fagan, author of The Long Summer . In this work of his many examples of how abrupt changes stimulated human adaptation, especially in these last 15,000 years of warm weather. This ability to disrupt our environment we should not forget that sometimes, the pressure of work environment as a stimulus.

is so much the importance of the environment in the development of cultures that in many occasions, was or became the natural enemy decisive suffered some decay of empires over the history of mankind. In this regard, Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel , discusses how geographic and environmental conditions determined or favored the dominance of the West. Before the question many times have we raised as to why other cultures were not dominant, such as African, Australian or American, and other Western introduced its domain more broadly. Diamond's answer is based on a number of factors were those that generated the wealth that led to the philosophical rationality and the development of dominant cultures.

In chronological order, agriculture occupies the first place. Its development was first in the fertile Mesopotamia, about ten thousand years ago, and although it has also emerged as elsewhere in Mesoamerica, was in the Middle East where he developed more intensely. The geography and the fact that this area of \u200b\u200bthe planet there were more conducive to plant domestication and cultivation was the determining factor for its development, thanks to the continuous land mass by geographical barriers existing on this continent, led to its expansion throughout Eurasia. Its geographical position is exposed on an east-west and places them in the same latitude, allowing the same species growing in places as distant as China and Spain.

By contrast, Jared Diamond also believes that perhaps the human species would have been better had not developed agriculture, which requires more effort than hunting and gathering. However, it was not so, hardly had developed cultures of the way they did and are the basis of our current reality. The towns prospered at the same time agriculture was expanding, because until then most of the time spent looking for food, gathering, hunting and fishing. The beginning of agriculture gave step to the domestication of animals, while in Eurasia was made easier by the type of animals that powdered, horse, cow, sheep, dog, etc., Africa and America was not so, which also influenced the plowing and transportation, increased agricultural production and improved military techniques.

These developments led to increased population, more leisure was generated and allowed to specialize in other human activities, such as the philosophical and intellectual development. Farmers are dedicated to providing the staple food of the population and pledged his time to the study and development of other arts. Finally, the determinant of Western dominance over other societies lies in social organization and dissemination of technological advances. However, the population growth in turn also led to unsustainable development environment. European companies were the only ones who managed to dominate Eurasia other territories, but not the Middle East and China, much of their lands were deforested and desertified, a situation that occurred in European forests more resistant to deforestation and erosion generated by humans.

Examples Brian Fagan reminds us, in terms of abrupt changes the weather, is that of the last glaciation, which caused the drop in sea level and created a natural bridge in the Bering Strait on the Asian colonized the Americas. Similarly, climate change and led to American culture, also intervened in one of the greatest archeological mysteries that confront us today: the disappearance or decline of the Maya.

may not be correct throughout the term disappearance, in fact the Maya did not disappear, and now we find their descendants in the same Central American region which developed its magnificent culture. It was long a mystery was the decline of major urban centers Maya, but considerable research has been conducted in the region has highlighted some of the reasons why the Maya were forced to leave cities of the forest.

The situation of permanent war with one another in which were the small states was one of these causes. Contrails Toniná tell how the ruling elite of the city embarked on an aggressive military campaign that resulted in the occupation of such important sites as Palenque, Piedras Negras and Bonampak. It is also suspected that other states could have carried out similar campaigns military ruined cities. In this context as violent and turbulent climate was accompanied by a mismatch that caused the phenomenon of El Niño, which should have major consequences for agriculture in the Maya area, which sparked the protests against the priestly class, who blamed as responsible for the lack of food.

are useless sacrifices and prayers to the gods of the Mayan priests, the great cities and ceremonial centers were abandoned for lack of food. The sediments of lakes in the Yucatán preserve the memory of a succession of droughts from the ninth century, one of which lasted 150 years. Researchers at the University of Florida (USA) responsible in part for the decline or decadence of the Mayan Empire, the sun, a 208-year cycle of increased solar activity which was developed by then. Discoveries that underscore the importance of Jared Diamond gives agriculture and geography in his theory of why Western culture was expanding its control over other territories, in this case on the Maya, in decline when the conquerors English arrived in the Americas.

Daisy Vest Patch Placement

It was not and could have been

Thinking about today's social reality in Latin America always leaves a question floating in the air about what might have been but was not, had not been given to place the conquest of America by the English Crown or other European nations that joined after the English New World adventure. It may be released at the imagination to run wild as a colt through the grasslands of the assumptions and make an imaginary utopia always supported the wishes rather than the possible realities that times have brought to all those people then, that today are in part but also in part be stopped in the process of mestizaje that took place between indigenous and foreign, between natives and outsiders.

Surely the final migration process that came with the encounter of two worlds would have happened shortly after 1492 have not materialized at that time, indeed, might even say that this significant date is merely the culmination of a few meetings already had been over previous centuries but from then officially start with globalization. It has been proven through archeology, as well as genetically, the encounters between the two worlds came long before Columbus reached the Americas, including the Nahua mythology, Olmec, Toltec, Mayan and Aztec deities are European or at least clearly features of the old continent, such as Quetzalcoatl. Therefore, these foreign influences and began to give from the moment the first European to set foot on the new continent.

However, whenever we start from that not so long ago October 12 to jump on the bandwagon of the assumptions and the possibilities of what would have happened not so traumatically altered the future, because we must understand that the meeting marked a before and after in the history of America and therefore in the future of their peoples. To try to imagine how society would be today without this European influence, it might be interesting check or compare the differences or similarities in the society of that time, especially in the context of the Nahua people, and by extension in Mexico and Central America in English.

The lifestyle was varied among the peoples of the highlands of Mexico and elsewhere in Central America, but if we look in more developed cultures, such as the Olmec, Toltec and Aztec were many similarities between native and European courts . Both the side and the other liked to have clowns, dwarves and fun pages for kings and courtiers, as was also similar restrictive and oppressive sense of priests and religious. However, there was a clear difference from the American monarchs who shared the dual role of priest, while the European monarchies, although they had much influence religions, kings were not priests. Similarly, there were also differences between each other, in the native one was more restrictive with their own than with strangers while the alien is punished equally.

In other mundane issues, such as ethyl and sexual excesses, for the Americans were a clear sin, however, for excess ethyl Europeans were not so. That same difference when the priests gave Europeans pointed to someone guilty of damnation, chasing him everywhere, unlike pre-Hispanic, indicated only as impious to his people and the failure was considered worse as high hierarchy. Compliance with the rules themselves social, moral and religious, were more an honor to race a clear obligation, so to cohabitants of other tribes, especially those who had different customs even more licentious called attention to them.

A Native American monarchs, unlike the Europeans, would have never thought to ask a religious exemption to earn heaven or paying bribes or favoritism so what was practiced by native kings what Europeans only preached. The picaresque, deception, envy, resentment, greed, ambition or any other human weaknesses also were between the American societies, however, to the chiefs Aboriginal values \u200b\u200bas their word, honor, sincerity and obedience to one's conscience was rife, while for the Europeans were just sophistry with which better deceive his opponents. For its part, the two peoples agreed on many attitudes, such as superstition, divination, witchcraft, promiscuity or taste for parties and laziness, yet there basic differences, the Aztecs worshiped the old and the English less so. Also among the Aztecs gave ethyl permissiveness and sexual issues, both old and old women, while for Europeans it was an aberration.

Women for the Aztecs, occupied an important role in society, in contrast to Europeans, for it seemed that neither exist. Although the Aztecs were also sexist, there was no shame between them or failed to women participation in their legends. Aztec women fought, loved and gave birth to both the Aboriginal and with foreigners, while English, when children gave birth brown with curly hair were given by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Usually religions are cruel, first and second, because if the English complained about the native human sacrifices did the same for torture.

can say that the understanding between the great lords was difficult, impossible, quite the opposite of what happened to the people, that the differences between both cultures were overcome with time and giving a quick syncretism, which highlighted the existence of more meeting points than disagreement. Something very different from what happened to the indigenous peoples of North America and Anglo-Saxon conquerors, far from extracts created Creole and Latin America, Native Americans fled to take refuge in their land. In short, in a way, this cultural syncretism, while he has led the merger of two towns, has preserved the customs of both sides of the Atlantic.

Shark Anatomy Diagram

Gods cruel or genetic violence

be by my fascination and attraction to indigenous peoples and their cultures, especially Mesoamerican among my favorite movies and favorite is "Apocalypto" director Mel Gibson. Do not I can assure you the number of times I've seen his photograph and atmosphere is fantastic. Is recorded in Nahuatl, a language I do not understand, but far from being incomprehensible, on the contrary, the more real and adds to its content.

I know that many Mexicans did not like too much cruelty and violence-related content or pre-Columbian Native American history, the proof was in the protests that began during her days by many groups of Mexican society, when he showed the film tape some years ago, but the truth is that, being in agreement or disagreement with the manner in which raised the story the director, no one know how much was cruel in reality, all we know is that part of that reality existed.

The gods are cruel, at least he understood throughout history many of its ministers or priests who represented them. As a punishment or sacrifice, for better and for worse violence has left the hand of religion in many historical passages. In Mesoamerican mythology, and many of their cultures, there have been human sacrifices as a way to appease their gods, as an extreme form of getting your grace. Nothing is more valuable than life itself to present as an offering or as a species redeemable for achieving supreme generosity.

Quetzalcoatl is the name given to the Nahuatl-speaking peoples the supreme being, "Feathered Serpent." The supreme god of Western-looking, fair-skinned, bearded redhead, actually represents a duality, black and white, good and bad, peaceful and violent. This duality has another name, Tezcatlipoca, "black mirror that smokes" . Quetzalcoatl has represented the supreme being for many of the Mesoamerican cultures, for each other brother and another man, Pora the Olmecs, Toltecs, the Maya as Kukulcan, and finally to the Aztecs. The story goes that Quetzalcoatl was revered by his people, for its purity and honesty, and Tezcatlipoca appeared one day disguised as old and offered him the drink of immortality, but in reality was a maddening drink that made him lose his purity. When he awoke the next morning and found that its purity had been lost in the intoxication that caused the concoction, he went predicting that one day return.

Tezcatlipoca took his place and the people chose him as a deity of choice, which unlike its duality demanded human sacrifices, so that violence and sacrificial offerings happened to most tolerant and peaceful. The gods became more violent and its demands of society as well, which was spreading in Central America while the Nahua were conquering and subjecting other peoples. That reality is that Mel Gibson reflected in his film, which ends with the arrival of English conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes, who was mistaken for Quetzalcoatl, Moctezuma himself.

Somehow Moctezuma mistook not, was the god represented by another man similar in appearance to Quetzalcoatl, fair-skinned, bearded, red-haired, but with the difference that in the background with whom he shared affinity was with Tezcatlipoca. A god who also demanded sacrifices allowing human cannibalism, with the symbolism of blood and body of Christ. Genome affinity and violent of the gods was shared, because if they were cruel about their sacrifices also were the ones with the punishment which the Holy Inquisition required to please God.

The passage of time has left with few worshipers Tezcatlipoca, but not with their offerings, in a different way back in the form of rituals related violent death. The religious syncretism among Mexicans has diversified in beliefs to the demands of Tezcatlipoca than that of Quetzalcoatl. Faith has been mixed with violence and death to the point drugs interact with deities, and more style than the monotheistic polytheistic pre-Hispanic Catholics.

Clearly deities style "black mirror that smokes", feel comfortable in the context of drug trafficking and violence in Mexico today, where it seems that history is reborn , or the return of Tezcatlipoca, because like then, the culture of violence is spreading to the south to Central America or Central America, where countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua to a lesser extent, are suffering harassment drug, which is attached to extortion and cruelty. Cultural expansion that worships death and whose common thread is more significant or offering violence.