Ancient People of Mesoamerica
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Mesoamerica is the ancient land bridge between what would later become North and South America, including much of Mexico down through the top part of South America. Today it comprises the countries of Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (ôMap of Mesoamericaö). This region was the birthplace of a number of Pre-Columbian cultures, including the Mayans and Aztecs. These two ancient peoples existed at approximately the same time, the 14th through 16th centuries, but were characterized by their views of the universe, which were similar in many respects. Human sacrifice was one of the shared concepts between the Mayans and Aztecs, whose religions both invited human action as a means of keeping the cosmos in balance (Callahan).Both the Mayans and the Aztecs thought of the universe as centered on the earth and divided into a number of cosmic directions. For the Mayans, there were six cosmic directions. The four quarters of space were north, south, east, and west, and these were associated with colors (Fig. 1, ôAztecs and Mayas religionö). The three cosmic layers were heaven above, the underworld below, and the earth at the center. For the Aztecs, there were five cosmic directions (which included the center), with 13 tiers above the earth and 9 below (Callahan). The combination of space and color bore a relationship to time, which was closely connected with the cosmic forces, i.e., the gods. The Aztecs and Mayans believed that t
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the world below. Then the yellow lord suggested that they make a man to enjoy the earth and offer praise to the gods. The other three agreed.
So the yellow god took a lump of yellow clay and made a man from it. But his creation was weak; it dissolved in water and could not stand upright.
Then the red god suggested that they make a man out of wood, and the others agreed. So the red god took a branch from a tree and carved it into a human shape. When they tested it in water, it floated; it stood upright without any problem whatsoever. However, when they tested it with fire, it burned.
The four lords decided to try again. This time the black god suggested making a man out of gold. The gold man was beautiful and shone like the sun. He survived the tests of fire and water, looking even more handsome after these tests. However, the gold man was cold to the touch; he was unable to speak, feel, move, or worship the gods. But they left him on earth anyway.
The fourth god, the colorless lord, decided to make humans out of his own flesh. He cut the fingers off his left hand and they jumped and fell to earth. The four gods could hardly see what the men of flesh looked like as they were so far away. From the seat of the four lords, they lo
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Kaqchikels Mayan, Mayans Aztecs, Aztecs Mayans, Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl, Quetzal Serpentthe, Maya Culture, Quetzacoatl Huitzilopochtli, Creation Mythö, Mythö Aztec, Aztecs Mayas, mayans aztecs, creation mythö, ôaztecs mayas, ôaztecs mayas religionö, mayas religionö, human sacrifice, , cosmic directions, ôaztec creation mythö, worshipped gods, ancient peoples, associated colors, , ômaya creation mythö,
Approximate Word count = 1455
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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