Monday, January 24, 2011

Dawn of the Maya(Video) Argument

Argument #1: A civilization of Mayans, 1000 years before the peak of Mayan culture.
Of course there was! There was so much evidence, even symbols of past kings, ancient murals, pyramids! It was all there, all in the amazon, all cut off from the world. Archeologists in Dawn of the Maya uncover ancient pottery and ancient temples finding the remains of an amazing nation.
http://www.digitalmeesh.com/maya/history.htm

Argument #2: The Mayans sacrificed.
Yes, the Mayans sacrificed. The Mayans sacrificed their blood, by cutting soft parts of their body, and smearing the blood on maize and baking it into bread. Human sacrifice occurred when festivals and other celebrations occured.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrifice_in_Maya_culture

Argument #3: The Mayans built enormous structures.
Yes they did! These temples are still around today! In the amazon rain forest,  the biggest pyramids and temples are hidden by trees and undergrowth. The temples, as seen in the dawn of the Maya video, were sturdily built and inhumanly large.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_architecture

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Dawn of the Maya(Video) Main Points

An archeologists tries to search for an ancient Mayan king in the pre-classic era.

An archeologist finds an ancient Mayan mural.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Nightmare in Jamestown(Video) Reflection

     England wanted gold and riches. So they sailed to the new world to Jamestown in search of it. Jamestown was truly a ghastly place in its first years, and many things went wrong. On the way there, the sailors revolted against Captain John Smith. The Native Americans that were already there were not friendly. Forcing the colonists to make a fort. It was very hot there so when the colonists arrived their heavy clothing made it even worse. There was a spread of disease, which cut down the colonists numbers drastically. Hunger was a big issue in the colony, and Spanish spies had invaded Jamestown. Theories had included that the Spanish had sabotaged Jamestown. The unknown founding father of Jamestown had died in the first months, and Captain John Smith had abandoned the colony later on. Jamestown was truly a nightmare.

     First, the colonists had to sail thousands of miles from England to the New World. On the way they already were having problems, telltale signs of a disaster in Jamestown. They revolted against their captain, and the gentlemen on the ship did not want to work. The gentlemen were not accustomed to working hard in England. So with these problems already, it didn't look too good for the colony. So when they finally finished sailing, they would start to look for gold. It got better, right? Wrong. The nightmare begins right after they get off the ship.

     On the first day, the colonists were searching for gold in their pans. Digging and looking through the river with their guns, weapons, and armor to the side. They were very hot because of their thick armor and heavy clothing, so they were getting dehydrated very quickly. So the Native Americans, trained in the art of not being seen, and could fire 30 arrows in the time a colonists could reload a single musket, were angry. They attacked the colonists, killing many of them with their arrows. So the colonists had to make an enormous effort to build a fort. The colonists tool only nineteen days to make a fort at least an acre long. they had to dig a trench all  were they wanted to put up a wall, and had to cut down hundreds of trees. The effort to build the fort was superhuman.

     Hunger and disease were big problems in the colony. The colonists would kill an able-bodied man just because they thought he was a Spanish spy. It turns out there is evidence of Spanish spies in the fort. The Spanish could have spread the unknown disease, by poisoning the food and contaminating the water. The Spanish could have played a major factor in the Jamestown nightmare. Hunger resulted in eating live stock and cannibalism. Since they were trapped in the fort because of the Native Americans, they could not get food from the forest. After a couple of months in, the founding father of Jamestown had died. It is not known how he died, maybe the Spanish' disease. After about a year, Captain John Smith abandoned the colony.

     Jamestown was truly a nightmare, with disease and famine plaguing the colony it was hard to survive. The colonists would kill accused spies, able-bodied men, eat each other and eat their livestock. Even on the ship, they had problems showing to a fiasco. So how did Jamestown succeed? The answer is pure will. Putting England with a stake in a new country. Jamestown, after two and a half years, was a success.