New light on the origins of civilization (June 10 2013)
Annalee Newitz the 43 year old American Journalist who reports on the cultural impact of science and technology has published an article in io9 titled ‘Ancient Maya discovery sheds new light on the origins of civilization’, in which she states “Over 3,000 years ago, in the warm, fertile lands that are now Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, the great Maya civilization arose — its vast pyramid temples appearing to come out of nowhere. But new evidence suggests a fascinating origin for this ancient, advanced culture. Just as the Inca once dominated South America, the Maya dominated large parts of Central America and Mexico. …after seven years of careful excavation at the famous Maya cultural center of Ceibal in Guatemala, University of Arizona anthropologists … have settled one of the greatest debates in their field: where the Maya came from. …For almost half a century, anthropologists studying the origins of the Maya have been divided into two camps. Some believe that the Maya civilization developed in Guatemala and Belize, without any contact from other groups in the region. But others believed the Maya were an outgrowth of the advanced Olmec civilization on the Gulf Coast. …something a lot more complicated happened than either of the previous two scenarios would allow. The Olmec did not “create” the Maya culture, nor did it evolve by itself in Guatemala. Most likely, it was the product of a very rapid social transformation that was taking place all over the region — caused, in part, by cultural exchanges between different groups, including the Olmec and the peoples who eventually became the Maya. …They are the result of hybridization. The Maya came to dominate Mexico, Guatemala and Belize because they were able to incorporate the innovations of the Olmec along with the discoveries and beliefs of many peoples in the area whose lives we are just now beginning to learn about. The ancient Maya were, in other words, a multiculture.”
Inspired by Annalee Newitz, io9 ow.ly/l5zrB Image source Twitter ow.ly/l5zp7
