Tag: archaeology

Montegrade, Peru, Origins of Cacao
EcoJustice Radio

Montegrande: Ancient Amazonian Temple Reveals World’s First Cacao Cultivation

EcoJustice Radio host Jack Eidt spoke with Karen Gordon, an associate at ASICAMPE, the nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research in the Peruvian Amazon. They explored the significance of Montegrande, a site that has revealed traces of cacao in 6,000-year-old ceremonial pottery vessels, making it the oldest known monumental temple site in Peru.

Jose Clemente Orozco, Quetzalcoatl, mural
Myth, Rituals and Traditions

Mythological Journey to the Aztec Underworld

In Aztec cosmology, the soul’s journey to the Underworld after death leaves them with four destinations: the Sacred Orchard of the Gods, the Place of Darkness, the Kingdom of the Sun, and a paradise called the Mansion of the Moon. The most common deaths end up on their way to Mictlán with its nine levels, crashing mountains and rushing rivers, and four years of struggle. This pantheon of gods and goddesses and the expanse of the 13 Heavens provides the cultural basis for the Day of the Dead customs and celebrations.

Ancient Maya Ruins of Tikal, Guatemala
Eco-Cultural-Travel, Rituals and Traditions

Maya Ruins at Tikal: A New Beginning at Winter Solstice

Twenty five hundred years ago, a group of peoples settled Tikal, surrounded by the lowland rainforests of the Petén Basin of northern Guatemala. Their descendants would create a remarkable civilization that populated cities and villages across much of southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. Today, it has returned to the forest but turned into a major archeological attraction.