Architecture and Burials in the Maya and Aztec
Plundering and carnage were the overlying results of the Spanish conquest of MesoAmerica beginning in 1519. The ensuing years brought many new "visitors," mostly laymen or officials in search of wealth, though the Christianity toting priest was ever present. Occasionally a man from any of these classes, though mainly priests would be so in awe of the civilization they were single handedly massacring that they began to observe and document things such as everyday life, religious rituals, economic goings on, and architecture, which was the biggest achievement in the eyes of the Spaniards. That is how the accounts of Friar Diego de Landa, a priest, were created, giving us rare first per-son historical accounts of the conquest and the people it effected. To archaeologists monumental architecture is more important than an inscribed stelae listing names and dates. There is so much more to learn from a building than a slab of stone usually seething with propaganda. In most societies they are what remains after conquest, usually for their beauty or ability to withstand the elements. Landa was amazed by what he found. "There are in Yucatan many edifices of great beauty, this be-ing the most outstanding of all things discovered i
Landa, Diego de. Yucatan Before and After the Conquest. Dover Publications Inc.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Aztecs Maya, Monumental Architecture, Friar Diego, According Landa, Characteristic Puuk, Unlike Maya, , Spaniard Landa, Funerals Aztec, City York, diego de, michael aztecs blackwell, 1978 smith michael, york 1978 smith, york 1978, york city, dover publications, publications inc, 1978 smith, conquest dover, city york 1978, domestic dwelling, de yucatan, york city york, city york,
Approximate Word count = 1213
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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