I wasn't sure what to write about until I looked on our blog and read the post about the Mayan calander. I thought I would write about an event in europe that is indirectly connected to the region where the maya lived. this week I am writing about the spanish inquisition.
In the 1470's the catholics rulers of spain united under ferdinand and isabella. by 1492 they had conquered the last of the muslim kingdoms in spain. this unification of spain was also the reason columbus was sponsored by spain. After ferdinand ad isabella drove out the moors, they decided to make spain unified by religion as well as politics. the result was the exile of all jews and muslims who would not convert to catholicism.
the goal of the inqusitions was to eliminate heretics by forcing them to renounce their heresy or by burning them at the stake as an example. eventually the inqusitons of europe began to harass jews. in spain the jews and muslims had suposedly all left or converted, so in spain the job of the inqusition was to find heretics and those conversos (Converts) who still secretly practiced their old religion. through a wide variety of tourtures the inqusitors forced confessions out of their prisoners, many were executed by burning at the stake. The inqusiton was harsh and lasted over a decade with the support of the spanish monarchy, the ruthlessness of the inqusiton was a powerful tool for the rulers of spain over their subjects and solidified control over the conquered areas. the inquisition was so bloody in fact that the church actually tried to intervene. for more information click here and here
Friday, October 16, 2009
"All I ask of food is that it doesn't harm me."
Food.
It is the very center of any culture and our very existence as living creatures. Since the dawn of time we have been eating, yet what we have been eating has changed. Today we eat meat as a normal piece of our diet, almost as if it were the most important part. It is only recently, under my personal editing of my eating habits, that I have come to realize this.
For thousands of years the Human thing lived without eating meat as often or in such quantities as we do today. I site specifically the Paleolithic ear of our species existence. In turn, we can safety say that Humans are more that capable of surviving, comfortably, with minimal or no meat consumption. Originally, we subsisted on nuts, berries, wheat, and other greens. Meat, while not always a total rarity, was not what one would call a main course (as we would think of it).
This begs the question: what is the dies for which our bodies is designed? We are aware of our appendix and of its apparent uselessness as well as that of our wisdom teeth. Were these, at one point, needed to help process our semi-meatless diet?
Another question to be asked: would this ancient diet be more compatible with our bodies than what we currently eat?
Of course it would! Nuts, berries, herbs, legumes: these have not the preservatives nor the fact content of today's food. While the body does need a certain amount of protein this can be found in various other sources of foods, as we are sure those living in the Paleolithic era consumed.
Now, please do not read this as "my case for vegetarianism," because it is not. At all. I do eat meat, however, I have cut back and modified on my intake. Call it a combination of personal taste meets experimentation. I think it can be said that we are hard pressed to think of a "fat caveman" or "obese paleolithic humanoid" (whichever you prefer): the point still stands. Between daily activity (while not always harsh) and eating habits, our genetic ancestors were not as obese as today's posterity.
While not saying "there were on to something," at least not consciously, they certainly benefited from the results to an extent. Perhaps if there were a shift back to this diet, or something more like it, the Human condition of health would see something of an advancement.
Boulding, Elise. 2007. Women and the Agricultural Revolution. In Worlds of History, A Comparative Reader, 3ed. 16-20. Boston, MA. Bedford/ St. Martin's.
Strayer, Robert W. 2009. First Farmers, The Revolution of Agriculture. In A Brief Global History. 35-53. Boston, MA. Bedford/ St. Martin's.
It is the very center of any culture and our very existence as living creatures. Since the dawn of time we have been eating, yet what we have been eating has changed. Today we eat meat as a normal piece of our diet, almost as if it were the most important part. It is only recently, under my personal editing of my eating habits, that I have come to realize this.
For thousands of years the Human thing lived without eating meat as often or in such quantities as we do today. I site specifically the Paleolithic ear of our species existence. In turn, we can safety say that Humans are more that capable of surviving, comfortably, with minimal or no meat consumption. Originally, we subsisted on nuts, berries, wheat, and other greens. Meat, while not always a total rarity, was not what one would call a main course (as we would think of it).
This begs the question: what is the dies for which our bodies is designed? We are aware of our appendix and of its apparent uselessness as well as that of our wisdom teeth. Were these, at one point, needed to help process our semi-meatless diet?
Another question to be asked: would this ancient diet be more compatible with our bodies than what we currently eat?
Of course it would! Nuts, berries, herbs, legumes: these have not the preservatives nor the fact content of today's food. While the body does need a certain amount of protein this can be found in various other sources of foods, as we are sure those living in the Paleolithic era consumed.
Now, please do not read this as "my case for vegetarianism," because it is not. At all. I do eat meat, however, I have cut back and modified on my intake. Call it a combination of personal taste meets experimentation. I think it can be said that we are hard pressed to think of a "fat caveman" or "obese paleolithic humanoid" (whichever you prefer): the point still stands. Between daily activity (while not always harsh) and eating habits, our genetic ancestors were not as obese as today's posterity.
While not saying "there were on to something," at least not consciously, they certainly benefited from the results to an extent. Perhaps if there were a shift back to this diet, or something more like it, the Human condition of health would see something of an advancement.
Boulding, Elise. 2007. Women and the Agricultural Revolution. In Worlds of History, A Comparative Reader, 3ed. 16-20. Boston, MA. Bedford/ St. Martin's.
Strayer, Robert W. 2009. First Farmers, The Revolution of Agriculture. In A Brief Global History. 35-53. Boston, MA. Bedford/ St. Martin's.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Here, he says he's not dead...Yes he is...I'm not!
Upon checking my e-mail this morning at yahoo, one of the first pages that appeared on the news section of the main site was this one, which does its best to inform the general public about the possible destruction of the world in 2012 based off the infamous Mayan calendar. As someone who has also earned a Spanish minor at Grand Valley State University, I have had the privilege of studying the Mayan culture before the hype about this possible doomsday event rose in its popularity. Also, as part of an early world history course at Grand Valley State, one of the main topics of discussion is learning about the early successful civilizations of the world. I decided to do some in-depth research in regards to the Mayan civilization, and also look into why so many people today are highly concerned about 2012.
According to this historical website, "The Maya are probably the best-known of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica. Mayan history starts in the Yucatan around 2600 B.C., Mayan history rose to prominence around A.D. 250 in present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras, El Salvador, and northern Belize."
In other words, the Maya civilization existed roughly along the times of the famous classical Roman empire and during the height of Han Dynasty China, two civilizations that my classmates and I are currently studying as part of our world history course at Grand Valley State University. This particular site, as well, lays out a fairly detailed map explaining where the Mayan civilization existed within the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. So now, we have the when, the what, and the where describing the Mayan civilization. But what about why? Why 2012? What is the big deal? Or how? How does the Mayan calendar predict this special date?
Perhaps the most important ruin discovery of the Mayan civilization is that of Chichen Itza. It is a pyramid design, but there is far more to it than just that. Chichen Itza represents part of the epic Mayan calendar. At this site, one can learn about the importance of the equinoxes for the Mayan civilization. The site describes that on both the spring and the autumnal equinox, the light from the sun will hit the stairs descending from the pyramid at directly the right point. It is rumored that the shadows cast by the pyramid itself will cause a serpent's image to be shown on those stairs, descending to the earth from the top of the pyramid. December 21, 2012, happens to be the fall equinox when this epic image appears--and it is also the very end of the current Mayan calendar. In other words, Chichen Itza is the embodiment of the prediction of the Mayan calendar.
The Mayan Calendar, as it currently stands, is scheduled to run out of dates December 21, 2012. Does this mean the end of the world, however? Remember that the Mayan civilization began around 2000 BCE, and reached its height shortly after the common era began. As someone who has been lucky enough to visit the Mayan ruin of Chichen Itza, I am not so easily convinced. However, using the information I have researched in this post, I will let you decide. Given the information here, is it enough to convince anyone that the world will ultimately reach its destruction in 2012?
According to this historical website, "The Maya are probably the best-known of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica. Mayan history starts in the Yucatan around 2600 B.C., Mayan history rose to prominence around A.D. 250 in present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras, El Salvador, and northern Belize."
In other words, the Maya civilization existed roughly along the times of the famous classical Roman empire and during the height of Han Dynasty China, two civilizations that my classmates and I are currently studying as part of our world history course at Grand Valley State University. This particular site, as well, lays out a fairly detailed map explaining where the Mayan civilization existed within the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. So now, we have the when, the what, and the where describing the Mayan civilization. But what about why? Why 2012? What is the big deal? Or how? How does the Mayan calendar predict this special date?
Perhaps the most important ruin discovery of the Mayan civilization is that of Chichen Itza. It is a pyramid design, but there is far more to it than just that. Chichen Itza represents part of the epic Mayan calendar. At this site, one can learn about the importance of the equinoxes for the Mayan civilization. The site describes that on both the spring and the autumnal equinox, the light from the sun will hit the stairs descending from the pyramid at directly the right point. It is rumored that the shadows cast by the pyramid itself will cause a serpent's image to be shown on those stairs, descending to the earth from the top of the pyramid. December 21, 2012, happens to be the fall equinox when this epic image appears--and it is also the very end of the current Mayan calendar. In other words, Chichen Itza is the embodiment of the prediction of the Mayan calendar.
The Mayan Calendar, as it currently stands, is scheduled to run out of dates December 21, 2012. Does this mean the end of the world, however? Remember that the Mayan civilization began around 2000 BCE, and reached its height shortly after the common era began. As someone who has been lucky enough to visit the Mayan ruin of Chichen Itza, I am not so easily convinced. However, using the information I have researched in this post, I will let you decide. Given the information here, is it enough to convince anyone that the world will ultimately reach its destruction in 2012?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)