Name of Victim: Ancient Mayan Civilication
Section A :Physical Description of Victim
Age at time of death: Nearly 1150 years old.
Country of Origin: In Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras
Approx. size of population: Anywhere from five million to fifteen million people Significant
Geographical Features: A lot of rivers and lakes. There were a lot of mountains.
Section B :Victims cultural background
Languages spoken:
Description of government: There was an emperor, but he was not very important. The leader had to be nominated by the medicine men , which were old and wise. The citizens paid taxes, and it was considered a great honor for a man to offer to become a sacrifice. Otherwise, slaves were normally sacrificed.
Description of Economic System: The leader wanted tribute in the form of gold, maize , beans, cocao, cotton, jade, and other products. Most production sold at the market was grown on farm plots built on marshy lakes. These plots were spread through Tenochititlon in all directions, and were extremely productive. Farming helped provide food for the urban population.
Description of religious beliefs: The Aztec believed that the gods created life and themselves. They worshipped them and believed that each god took turns carrying time and created a calendar that specifically told them which god should be heeded then. Ceremonies were done to win the favor of the gods. A favored type of ceremony were human sacrifices. There were many gods that were either original to the Aztec people or were adopted by them. The first goddess was Coatlicue.Forensic Analysis
Section C : Forensic Analysis
List and describe all evidence used: The first piece of evidence found is a torn map that has places such as La Coruna, El Espina, and Salamanca on it. And there was a picture of what seemed to be someone of importance (maybe a god?) carrying something that looked like fruit. Also there was a picture of an Aztec calendar, and a picture of an on going human sacrifice. There was also a painting with people working and gathering around a creature that looked like an eagle perched on a cactus.Explain significance of each piece of evidence: The Aztec calendar lets us know that the Aztecs were the victim and the picture of the sacrifice lets us know the people are religious. Also the picture of the man with fruit may show the gender is male. And the map tells us what country those who were involved are from.
List and describe any possible suspects: A possible suspect were the Spanish. They had a fetish for gold and would do anything to gain it, especially if it meant wiping out ‘savages’. It could’ve also been that the Spanish harbored diseases that they (and not the Aztecs were immune to). Of course, it spread around and killed people with illnesses.
Witness Interviews: (find three primary sources)Broken spears lie in the roads;We have torn our hair in our grief. The houses are roofless now, and their walls Are red with blood.Worms are swarming in the streets and plazas,And the walks are spattered with gore The water has turned red, as if it were dyed And when we drink it,It has the taste of brine We have pounded our hands in despairAgainst the adobe walls,For our inheritance, our city, is lost and dead. The shields of our warriors were its defense.But they could not save it.We have chewed dry twigs and salt grasses:We have filled our mouths with dust and bits of adobe.We have eaten lizards, rats and worms When we had meat, we ate it almost raw-Aztec account of the Conquest, Cantares Mexicanos http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/slenchek/slaztec4.htmlI said everything to them I could to divert them from their idolatries, and draw them to a knowledge of God our Lord. Moctezuma replied, the others assenting to what he said, AThat they had already informed me they were not the aborigines of the country, but that their ancestors had emigrated to it many years ago; and they fully believed that after so long an absence from their native land, they might have fallen into some errors; that I having more recently arrived must know better than themselves what they ought to believe; and that if I would instruct them in these matters, and make them understand the true faith, they would follow my directions, as being for the best. Afterwards, Moctezuma and many of the principal citizens remained with me until I had removed the idols, purified the chapels, and placed the images in them, manifesting apparent pleasure; and I forbade them sacrificing human beings to their idols as they had been accustomed to do; because, besides being abhorrent in the sight of God, your sacred Majesty had prohibited it by law, and commanded to put to death whoever should take the life of another. Thus, from that time, they refrained from the practice, and during the whole period of my abode in that city, they were never seen to kill or sacrifice a human being.-Hernan Cortés: from Second Letter to Charles V, 1520 http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1520cortes.html"Ten years before the Spaniards first came here, a bad omen appeared in the sky. It was like a flaming ear of corn, or a fiery signal, or the blaze of daybreak; it seemed to bleed fire, drop by drop, like a wound in the sky. It was wide at the base and narrow at the peak, and it shone in the very heart of the heavens."This is how it appeared: it shone in the eastern sky in the middle of the night. It appeared at midnight and burned till the break of day, but it vanished at the rising of the sun. The thine during which it appeared to us was a full year, beginning in the year 12-House."When it first appeared, there was great outcry and confusion. The people clapped their hands against their mouths; they were amazed and frightened, and asked themselves what it could mean."-Codex Florentino http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/aztecs_and_cortes.htmlDescribe all sources used (art work, journal entry, etc): One source was an Aztec account of the Conquistador Conquest. Another was a letter from Hernan Cortes to the king of Spain. The third was a recalling of a bad omen before the Spanish came.Who created sources: It is unknown who wrote the account. Hernan Cortes wrote the letter (to his king). Codex Florentino is the one who connected the events of the bad omen and the arrival of the Spaniards.Dates of testimony: The account is believed to have been written in 1523. The letter was written in 1520, and we don’t know when the omen was recalled, though he was a descendant of the Aztecs.State significance of each witness along with specific details of testimony: The Aztec account expresses sorrow about what happened to their empire which seemed to have been destroyed while their warriors were trying to defend it.The letter tells that Hernan spread his religion and got rid of ‘savage’ customs such as human sacrifices successfully.The omen shows that the Aztecs knew that something bad was coming, and connected it with the arrival of the Spaniards (after they had come, of course)
Conclusions:
Cause of Death (check one only):
Suicide__ Natural Causes__ Homicide: We think this is it
Explain cause of death (in detail): The Spaniards came to the Aztec empire, and tricked the people into trusting them and giving them gold. They then tried to kidnap the leader, but when that didn’t work out, they decided to take over the empire through conquest. It also helped that the Aztecs were never exposed to diseases.
Partial Source: Team 5
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Mayan Cities Map
This is a map of all the major Mayan cities. The Mayan cities went threw the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Belize and El Salvador.
El Castillo
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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