Maya to Aztec - Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed

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Genre: eLearning Video / History, Civilizations, Culture
Five hundred years ago, Spanish conquistadors searching for gold
and new lands to settle stumbled on a group of independent citystates in Mesoamerica, a region extending for more than a thousand
miles from the desert of northern Mexico to the rain forest of Central
America. Sophisticated beyond the Spaniards wildest imaginings,
these people were the Aztecs, the Maya, and related cultures that
shared common traditions of religion, government, social
organization, the arts, agriculture, engineering, and trade.
In many ways more advanced than European nations, these
societies were the equal of the worlds greatest civilizations, with
remarkable achievements including the following:
Cities: The Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, was more populous than any
city in Europe and featured unprecedented public amenities, among
them one of the largest public markets in the world.
Time-keeping: The Maya created a calendar that could record their
history down to the day over spans of thousands of yearsa feat
achieved by few other early civilizations.
Foods: The most planted crop on Earth today, corn, was
domesticated thousands of years ago in Mesoamerica, along with
beans, squashes, chocolate, and other foods now consumed
everywhere.
Writing: Writing was independently invented just five times in the
history of the worldonce by the Maya, whose elaborate writing
system was only deciphered in the late 20th century.
Mathematics: Maya mathematics is so complex that we dont yet
know all it can do. The system is among the first ever to use zero,
which is indispensible for practical and advanced calculations.
But the ancient Mesoamericans were also deeply mystifying. Their
art was filled with strange images of serpents, birds, jaguars, and
humans with fantastically adorned headdresses. Their cities were
dominated by ceremonial pyramids, thousands of which were built
throughout the region. Their most popular rituals included a bruising
ball game played to propitiate the gods. And their most notorious
practice was human sacrifice, performed frequently and sometimes
with hundreds of victims slaughtered in a single ceremony.
Although the Spanish eventually conquered all of Mesoamerica,
much remains of the original culture. Beautiful artifacts fill
museums. Impressive ruins dot the landscape. And millions of
descendants of ancient Mesoamericans still live in their ancestral
homes, speaking native languages and practicing time-honored

traditions. Its no wonder that Mesoamerica is a must-see

destination for travelers with an urge to step into an extraordinary
past.
Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed immerses you in this
epic story with 48 exhilarating half-hour lectures that cover the full
scope of Mesoamerican history and culture. Your guide is Professor
Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center and a noted
archaeologist, explorer, and teacher, whose exploits include the
discovery of a lost Maya city.
The countries from Mexico to Costa Rica include more than a dozen
UNESCO World Heritage Sites related to the pre-Columbian period,
plus scores of other ancient sites that are equally worth a visit.
These lectures are the ideal way to plan an itinerary, prepare for a
tour, or simply sit back and enjoy a thrilling virtual voyage. You will
be surprised at the number of sites to exploremany more than you
could possibly see in months of travel.
Experience a Golden Age of Discovery
Among his many distinctions, Dr. Barnhart was a student of the
famous Maya scholar Linda Schele, who played a pivotal role in
deciphering the Maya script and helped spur a new understanding of
this preeminent Mesoamerican civilization. In Maya to Aztec, you
hear how the keys to deciphering the Maya hieroglyphs, which had
frustrated generations of code breakers, suddenly fell into place at a
conference organized by Schele in 1973. Since then, the marvelous
world of the Maya has been revealed in far more rich detail,
shedding new light on their history, mythology, rituals, monuments,
and arts.
These discoveries, plus the exciting revelations of current
archaeological work throughout Mesoamerica, make today a golden
age of studies in the field and the perfect time to immerse yourself
in this entrancing subject.
Maya, Aztec, and More
The course focuses in depth on two cultures: the Maya, who have
been in Mesoamerica for thousands of years, and the Aztecs, who
mysteriously appeared late and rose swiftly to power. The Aztecs fell
from power just as precipitously; their empire controlled the region
for less than a century, until the arrival of the Spanish in the early
1500s. You learn what these two groups shared and what made
them so different. For example, why did the Aztecs use chocolate
beans for money yet apparently had gold for the taking, while the
Maya had little interest in the metal so coveted by Europeans? And
why were the Aztecs so quickly defeated by the conquistadors, while
the Maya resisted the invaders for generations? In addition, you will
see how the contrasting histories of the Aztecs and Maya continue to

have repercussions in modern-day Mexico and Guatemala, helping

to explain the complex politics of that part of the world.
Furthermore, ancient Mesoamerica was a crossroads of
many different cultures, and you also learn about these
major civilizations:
Olmec: Famed for colossal stone heads, the Olmecs flourished more
than 3,500 years ago and were one of Mesoamericas first complex
societies. Study their beautiful and inscrutable art for clues about
their way of life.
Zapotec: The Zapotecs established one of the earliest major cities in
Mesoamerica, Monte Alban, located on a strategic mountaintop
overlooking the spectacular Valley of Oaxaca. Take a tour of the wellpreserved ruins at this fascinating site.
Mixtec: In 1932 an archaeologist at Monte Alban discovered a tomb
as rich as an Egyptian pharaohs. But this was not a Zapotec grave;
it belonged to a later people called the Mixtec. Learn about their
culture and their powerful ruler called Eight Deer Jaguar Claw.
Toltec: Revered by the Aztecs and more recently the purported
source of mystical teachings, the Toltecs are one of the great
question marks of Mesoamerican history. Investigate what is actually
known about this enigmatic culture.
Tarascan: A rival power to the Aztecs, the Tarascans have traits that
connect them to the Inca in Peru. Discover that they are not the only
Mesoamerican civilization with intriguing links to peoples far to the
south and north.
Investigate the Controversies
Maya to Aztec is richly illustrated with Professor Barnharts own
photos taken in the field, along with museum-grade images of
artifacts, illustrations recreating ancient cities and temples, maps
showing where to find different sites, and graphics that decode
Mesoamerican writing and iconography.
Steeped in this subject for his entire professional career, Dr.
Barnhart knows the arguments on all sides of the most important
controversies, and he often has his own well-thought-out theories to
contribute, making this course an exciting glimpse of exploration,
theorizing, and discovery in action.
Among the mysteries and controversies you investigate are
these:
The Maya calendar: The elaborate time-keeping inscriptions of the
Maya have sparked many sensational interpretations, such as a
purported end of world in 2012. Dr. Barnhart shows that the true
meanings involved rebirth, a cyclical view of history, and major
turning points in Maya civilization.
Human sacrifice: No subject so shocked outside observers, including

the ruthless conquistadors, as human sacrifice. The key is to see this

ritual in its broader religious context, which included auto-sacrifice
or self-mutilationpracticed by the ruling elite.
Ball game: American football has been around for 150 years, but the
Mesoamerican ball game has been played for 3,500 years. Explore
the debate over the social functions of this risky sport, which used a
solid rubber ball weighing as much as nine pounds.
Maya collapse: Why would a civilization at the height of power
systematically abandon its cities? Dr. Barnhart discusses the leading
theories and then looks at evidence that the Maya obsession with
cycles of time may have been the decisive factor.
Ancient observatory: The massive tower called El Caracol in the
Maya city of Chichen Itza is thought to be an ancient astronomical
observatory. But how was it used? Are the many celestial alignments
connected with it intentional or accidental?
Professor Barnhart also spotlights the momentous encounter that
transformed Mesoamerica forever. Near the end of the course, he
describes the march of Hernn Corts and his small army of Spanish
troops from Veracruz to the Aztec capital at Tenochtitlan in 1519.
There the Aztec ruler, Moctezuma II, welcomed the foreigners with
gifts of gold. Heedless of the Aztecs vastly superior strength, Corts
waged war and in less than two years defeated the entire Aztec
empire. Dr. Barnhart evaluates the conflicting historical accounts of
this astonishing conquest, which had a profound impact on the New
World and the Old.
One who was affected was the great Deutsch artist Albrecht Drer.
In 1520 he visited Brussels and saw an exhibit of Aztec artifacts sent
to the Holy Roman Emperor by Corts. All the days of my life,
Drer wrote in his diary, I have seen nothing that rejoiced my heart
so much as these things, for I saw amongst them wonderful works of
art, and I marveled at the subtle ingenuity of men of foreign lands.
With Maya to Aztec, you, too, will marvel at the accomplishments
and genius of an exceptional group of civilizations, which were
among the greatest the world has ever known.
Lectures:
1 The Maya, Aztecs, and Mesoamerica
2 Olmec Civilization Emerges
3 Olmec Art as the Mother Culture
4 Olmec Contemporaries
5 Mesoamerican Plants, Cuisine, and Medicine
6 Early Highland Maya: Izapa to Kaminaljuyu
7 Preclassic Maya Lowlands: El Mirador
8 The Popol Vuh: Creation and Hero Twins
9 The Great City of Teotihuacan
10 How the Maya Mastered Mathematics
11 The World's Most Elaborate Calendar

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Tikal: Aspiring Capital of the Maya World

Maya Hieroglyphs: Breaking the Code
Maya Astronomy and Building Orientations
The Dresden Codex
Palenque: Jewel in the West
Sacred Geometry in Art and Architecture
Illuminating Works of Maya Art
Copan: Jungle Dynasty of the East
Calakmul: The Mighty Snake Kingdom
The Mesoamerican Ball Game
Enigmatic West Mexico and Shaft Tombs
Classic Maya Collapse: Cities Abandoned!
New Cities of the Terminal Classic: Uxmal
Monte Alban and Zapotec Rule over Oaxaca
The Mixtec Rise: Gold and Epic Stories
The Great Pyramid of Cholula and El Tajin
Cacaxtla Murals and Xochicalco
The Toltecs: Role Models or Myth?
Chichen Itza: Maya Capital of the Yucatan
League of Mayapan:Maya New World Order
Mesoamerican Religion
Aztec Origins: Arrival and Rise of the Mexica
The Aztec Capital of Tenochtitlan
Life in the Aztec World
How the Aztecs Expanded Their Empire
Independent Tarascans: Desert Warriors
Paquime: Northernmost Mesoamerican City?
Illuminating Works of Aztec Art
Tulum: Aztecs at the Ancient Maya Port City
First Contact with Europe in Mesoamerica
The Siege of Tenochtitlan
Conquest of the Maya and Landa's Legacy
Fall of the Last Maya Kingdom: The Itza
The Caste Wars of Yucatan
Echoes of the Past in Mexico
Maya Survival and Revival
Frontiers of Mesoamerican Archaeology