Assignment 3a

Pre-Colombian
Pre-Colombian takes place in 14,000 B.P. and refers to the era before European influence and commonly the era before Christopher Columbus. Pre- Colombian people were people of Mesoamerica, and the Andes.


The Maya Culture
I really don’t know anything about any of these cultures, however watching all the clips, this one seemed the most interesting.The idea of lost temples and mysteries got my attention. It was interesting that the Mayans made their own written language, and built entire villages of stone.

Three interesting Facts
1) On the Yucatan Peninsula the village of Chichen Itza, Spanish records show that live victims were thrown into the well as a sacrifice to the rain god Chop who lived in it’s deaths.These wells were the villages only source of water. These wells are also where the name Chichen Itza came from.

2) The Mayans are the only known culture of Pre-Colombia to have a fully developed written language, which was created during the Pre-classic period. Along with their own language they also developed with the help of Mesoamerican cultivations the calendar and epigraphy

3) Today Mayan people still use traditions, beliefs and languages of Pre-Colombian times. The Achi' language, is still widely used today. Rabinal Achí, is a play written in the language and was “declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.” (Wikipedia)

Sources and why they are credible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyvw6G9Max0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization
I believe these are credible sites because the YouTube video I used is from one of the links given The Wikipedia, is known to be a legitatment source. Last semester in my speech class a student did classmate did a presentation on Wikipedia, explaining how is now a reliable source.