The Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos is an ever-evolving holiday that traces its earliest roots to the Aztec people in what is now central Mexico. The Aztecs used skulls to honor the dead a millennium before the Day of the Dead celebrations emerged. Skulls, like the ones once placed ...
Everybody knows the United States of America, and almost everybody knows most of the States by name. Even the citizens of other nations will often be familiar with the names of the 50 U.S. states because they all feature so prominently in popular culture—in the movies of Hollywood, the...
“These enormous snakes are there, my eyes are closed and I see a spectacular world of brilliant lights, and in the middle of these hazy thoughts, the snakes start talking to me without words. They explain that I am just a human being. I feel my mind crack, and in the fissures, I ...
People in medieval Spain brought pan de ánimas (spirit bread) and wine to the graves of their loved ones. To help the dead souls find their way back to their homes on Earth, they would also cover graves with lit candles and flowers. Spanish conquistadors brought these traditions with them ...
Mixcoatl –of Aztec origin, referring to the goddess of the hunt, associated with the Milky Way. Nujalik –a Chinese or Inuit title meaning “goddess of hunting” or “god of the land.” Nullah –an Australian pick meaning “hunting stick” or “war club,” perfect for your fierce baby...
During the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese consume a scented beverage made from rice and millet wines flavored with herbs, flowers and tree resins. Cacaois used in Mexico and Central America. Rulers, priests, heroic soldiers, and successful businessmen were the only members of Aztec society allowed to...
In ancient Rome, a trivium was an intersection of three roads (tri, "three" + vium, road). When people met at a trivium, what did they tend to do? According to the Romans, they would shoot the breeze and discuss trivialis ("inconsequential things") - which eventually helped give triv...
The coasts of today’s California, United States were first explored by Spanish navigator Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542. The colonization of that territory was largely ignored by Spain, as no treasures were found comparable to those of the Aztec or Inca empires. ...
I wish the technologies actually matched the civilizations instead of just the same technology tree recycled, the use of materials (esp in the new Aztec exp) are random and confusing, and the chat window is possibly the worst I’ve ever countered. ...
Aztecullamaliztliplayers performing for Charles V in Spain, drawn by Christoph Weiditz in 1528.Public domain via Wikimedia Commons The researchers found not only the courts, but the remains of a ceremony that would have marked the end of the playing space’s use. (Burned wood from these ...