Hernán(do) Cortés, Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca

Hernán(do) Cortés, Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish explorer, military commander, and colonizer whose daring conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico for Spain in 1521 led to the eventual subjugation and effective elimination of native American culture in Mesoamerica.

Cortés adopted methods in the conquest of Mexico like those of other Conquistadors, including torture, the capture of indigenous leaders, and large-scale destruction of lives and property in the quest for gold and other riches. Nevertheless, many argue that he dealt with the natives more humanely than did his successors. Cortes was an efficient soldier and administrator who demonstrated relative restraint during the conquest, sought to make peace with Indian tribes, resisted slavery, issued edicts against human sacrifice, and sought peaceful conversion of Indians to the Christian faith. Cortés hoped to acquire a productive province informed by Christian principles, not a slave state administered by rapacious overlords.

Wonders of the modern world: Chichen Itza

Some of the most incredible pyramids still in existence are not, as many people erroneously think, in Egypt, but are in South America where they continue to fascinate astronomers, archaeologists and tourists alike.

Of these awe-inspiring edifices it is perhaps Chichen Itza, on the Yucatan Peninsula, in what is modern day Mexico and which, to the delight of many, is listed as one of the ‘Wonders of the Modern World’, that is the most famous, although Machu Pitchu in Peru does compete for this honour.

Viata in subteran

Se spune ca sunt minuni naturale si in acelasi timp minuni aparute dupa interventia omului: sunt orasele si structurile subterane.

In lume gasim si astazi nenumarate astfel de orase, insa ele nu mai pot fi locuite. Astazi unele dintre orasele subterane ce s-au pastrat de-a lungul vremii se viziteaza. Mare parte dintre ele nu sunt destinate vizitelor turistice si nu putem stii cu exactitate numarul lor.

Beyond Chichen Itza: Less traveled Maya sites

For longtime travelers to the Yucatan, the 2012 mythology that has taken hold brings a delicious irony: Worldwide attention is finally turning from the Yucatan's white-powder beaches and sequestered all-inclusives to the remnants of the "lost civilization" buried under the jungle that drew the first travelers to Mexico's mysterious southern peninsula after New York writer John Lloyd Stephens and illustrator Frederick Catherwood recounted their explorations in the mid-19th century.

New impact crater in the Canadian arctic revealed

Last week, NASA’s Curiosity Rover made its historic landing on Mars. And while scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California get ready to examine the environs of Gale crater, a new impact feature was revealed by researchers right here on Earth.

Two years ago, surveyors for the Natural Resources Canada Geo-Mapping for Energy and Minerals program noted an unusual geological feature on Victoria Island in the high Canadian Arctic. This 25 km-wide circular feature displayed signs of tilted strata, shatter cones, and fractured radial lines atypical of the region, but typical of a meteorite impact.

Ancient Cities: Chichen Itza

Of the three Mayan cities we were to visit over the next two weeks, Chichen Itza was the most desirable. For us the iconic temple was a figurehead for Mayan civilisation. Based in Mexico’s Yucatan province, the UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the more popular ancient ruins, with over a million people visiting the thousand-year old city every year.

However, despite our high-expectations, standing in-front of El Castillo at Chichen Itza had us surprisingly unfulfilled. A few feet away was part of an ancient major city, a famous landmark of the Mayan empire and an overrated tourist attraction.

Arheologii au descoperit ciocolata de acum 2.500 de ani

Arheologii au anuntat ca au descoperit urme de ciocolata vechi de 2.500 de ani in peninsula Yucatan. Aceasta este prima data cand se gasec reziduuri de ciocolata pe o farfurie si nu intr-o cupa, ceea ce ar sugera ca aceasta ar fi putut fi folosita drept condiment sau sos, alaturi de mancare solida.

Expertii stiau de mult ca boabele si pastaile de cacao au fost utilizate in culturile pre-hispanice la prepararea bauturilor rezervate elitei, scrie Telegraph.

Alvarado And Tenochtitlan

While Hernan Cortes is known as the primary conqueror of the Aztec people and Mexico, he didn't do it alone. History has also shed light on his second in command, Pedro de Alvarado. 

This military strategist, later to be named Governor of Guatemala, became infamous for his role in the dramatic fall of Tenochtitlan and the ensuing battles for supremacy and survival.

Calendarul maya

Maya a fost o civilizaţie mezoamericata deosebit de sofisticată ale cărei teritorii au inclus zonele în care se afla astăzi Gutatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador şi statele mexicane sud-estice Tabasco, Yucatan şi Quintana Roo. 

Perioada clasică a culturii maya se plasează între anii 250 şi 900 d.Hr., când realizările artistice şi intelectuale au echivalat orice cultură precolumbiană din Americi. Mayasii au fost primii oameni din Americi care au păstrat informaţii istorice, majoritatea sub forma unor stele imbodobide (monumente din piatră) şi au ţinut arhive ale evenimentelor civile, ale calendarului maya şi ale cunoştinţelor astronomice.