New discoveries are still being unearthed in the area, providing even more insight into the culture and Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Early Aztec History. Recommended for you. Aztec Aqueducts. Mayan Scientific Achievements. Aqueducts of Palenque. Maya The Maya Empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, reached the peak of its power and influence around the sixth century A.
Teotihuacan Teotihuacan is an ancient Mesoamerican city located 30 miles 50 km northeast of modern-day Mexico City. History of Chocolate The history of chocolate can be traced to the ancient Mayans, and even earlier to the ancient Olmecs of southern Mexico. European colonisers spread disease as they ventured into the new world, bringing germs local populations had never encountered and lacked immunity against.
The cocoliztli pestilence in what is today Mexico and part of Guatemala came just two decades after a smallpox epidemic killed an estimated million people in the immediate wake of the Spanish arrival.
Even at the time, physicians said the symptoms did not match those of better-known diseases such as measles and malaria. Scientists now say they have probably unmasked the culprit. Analysing DNA extracted from 29 skeletons buried in a cocoliztli cemetery, they found traces of the salmonella enterica bacterium, of the Paratyphi C variety.
Likewise, the people of Central America, who once existed on the edges of the Aztec empire, find themselves facing poverty and violence and look to the north with hope. If they were here today, they would probably see a certain irony in the situation.
That instead of traveling south, Mesoamericans now journey north, reversing the steps taken by their ancestors so many years ago. And that even in the face of American hostility and outright violence, they still find hope, energy and resilience, much like their Aztec ancestors in the shadow of their Spanish colonizers.
For too long, we have accepted as fact the records left behind by the Spaniards, whose language, culture and worldview vastly differed from the people they conquered. Luckily for us, the Mexica people had the forethought to write down their stories, to record their voices for posterity. Contact us at letters time. A stone Aztec calendar of the sun, on display at a museum circa Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Advanced search. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. Download PDF. Genetic evidence tracks missing inhabitants of Mexican city. The Aztecs conquered much of Mexico in the 15th century. Authors Brian Switek View author publications. Rights and permissions Reprints and Permissions. About this article Cite this article Switek, B.
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