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New Day Cafe: The Maya [1]
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Date: 2022-11-04
The earliest period...
The history of Mesoamerica is usually divided into specific periods which, taken together, reveal the development of culture in the region and, for the purposes of this definition, the emergence and cultivation of the Maya Civilization. The Archaic Period: 7000-2000 BCE – During this time a hunter-gatherer culture began to cultivate crops such as maize, beans and other vegetables and the domestication of animals (most notably dogs and turkeys) and plants became widely practiced. www.worldhistory.org/...
x Mayan ruins, Belize, Central America pic.twitter.com/NKPELaiHOJ — LeeAnne O Brien (@Leeanneobrien55) October 7, 2022
Jacques Pepin and his not-Mayan Eggs Poblano
Step up your breakfast game by using flavorful poblano peppers as breakfast boats in Jacques Pépin's Eggs Poblano recipe. Jacques refers to this egg dish with a kick as "huevos rancheros, French style". From the YouTube description
This one doesn’t need a recipe, but ingredients are listed in the YouTube description. [4:04]
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But for the purposes of this post, let’s stick to the Classic Period.
The Classic Maya Period: 250-950 CE – This is the era which saw the consolidation of power in the great cities of the Yucatec Maya such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal. Direct cultural influences may be seen, in some sites, from the Olmecs and the Zapotecs and the cultural values of Teotihuacan and El Tajin but, in others, a wholly new culture seems to have emerged (such as at Chichen Itza where, though there is ample evidence of cultural borrowing, there is a significantly different style to the art and architecture). This period was the height of the Maya civilization in which they perfected mathematics, astronomy, architecture and the visual arts and also refined and perfected the calendar. www.worldhistory.org/...
Chichen Itza:
x It's time for a Fun Fact!
Did you know...that Chichen Itza is considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the World? This massive ruin was once a magnificent Mayan city. It was named a Wonder in 2007.
Read about Mexico and its landmarks at RHES Library! pic.twitter.com/LuP9irYw30 — RoundHillESLibrary (@RHES_Library) October 14, 2022
Abigail Mendoza demonstrates pre-Columbian Mole
Let's go back in time to learn how to make this prehispanic mole in a very traditional way. We'll use a metate (precolombian grinding stone) to mill the ingredients without damaging the flavors of each ingredient. Today we cook with a true legend of Zapotecan cuisine, Abigail Mendoza Ruiz, one of the most respected culinary instructors in all Mexico. From the YouTube description
[6:56]
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The civilization was large.
[T]he Classic Period of Mayan culture lasted until about 900 ce. At its height, Mayan civilization consisted of more than 40 cities, each with a population between 5,000 and 50,000. Among the principal cities were Tikal, Uaxactún, Copán, Bonampak, Dos Pilas, Calakmul, Palenque, and Río Bec. The peak Mayan population may have reached two million people, most of whom were settled in the lowlands of what is now Guatemala. www.britannica.com/...
He must have been quite a warrior.
x Jade masks were placed over the deceased to enable the rebirth of their ruler to have eternal life and be one with the Gods. Artifacts in Palenque showed a death mask made of hundreds of jade fragments. His bones were covered with a suit of jade plaques linked together with gold. pic.twitter.com/IpNqBLqHue — Mayascribe (@Mayascribe) October 9, 2022
Sohla makes Ancient Maya Tamales [34:14]
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“The Wheel of Life”
The height of the Maya Civilization in the Classic Period produced the incredible cultural advances for which they are well known. The Maya believed deeply in the cyclical nature of life – nothing was ever `born' and nothing ever `died' – and this belief inspired their view of the gods and the cosmos. Their cosmological views, in turn, encouraged their imaginative efforts in architecture, mathematics, and astronomy. www.worldhistory.org/...
Uxmal:
x Aerial view of Uxmal. Yucatan, Mexico. UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with Palenque and Calakmul in Mexico; Caracol and Xunantunich in Belize, and Tikal in Guatemala. pic.twitter.com/Z1eOuUhuq0 — S.A.Baloch (@asmaaan208) January 20, 2019
Tomalitos made by Vickie’s Country Home
Not to be confused for tamales [...] these awesome little corn *Tamales* are different in that the corn isn’t made into masa then cooked, it is ground up as is and stuffed back into corn husks then steamed. These scrumptious morsels are often lightly spiced, and sometimes have shredded habaneros and maybe even chicken in them! belize-travel-blog.chaacreek.com/...
Ingredients are in the YouTube description. [12:16]
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It wasn’t just the “divine right of kings...
Rule during the Classic period centred on the concept of the "divine king", who was thought to act as a mediator between mortals and the supernatural realm. Kingship was patrilineal, and power normally passed to the eldest son. A prospective king was expected to be a successful war leader as well as a ruler. Closed patronage systems were the dominant force in Maya politics, although how patronage affected the political makeup of a kingdom varied from city-state to city-state. en.wikipedia.org/...
Tikal:
x Como niño pequeño en navidad 🤩 Tikal, Guatemala. 🗿 pic.twitter.com/sxn1w28era — Jonathan (@jothanas16) October 9, 2022
Traditional Barbacoa with Luke Martin
Welcome to the Oaxacan countryside, where we will be meeting a local family that makes barbacoa (Mexican BBQ) in an underground pit. ✂️ We also visited a real Mezcal producer in another rural village. We were shown how they produce pure Mezcal from the agave plant, how the pulp is fermented and then double distilled. From the YouTube description
Travelogue. [24:47]
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And what a legacy!
The Maya produced a vast array of structures, and have left an extensive architectural legacy. Maya architecture also incorporates various art forms and hieroglyphic texts. Masonry architecture built by the Maya evidences craft specialization in Maya society, centralised organization and the political means to mobilize a large workforce. en.wikipedia.org/...
I mean, just look:
x A Mayan stele from Copan, Honduras, showing the ruler Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil (”18 Rabbit”), who ruled the city in the early 700s CE. The king sponsored a huge amount of art around the city until he was captured and beheaded by a rival city in 738. pic.twitter.com/R4L7zIreCn — World History Facts (@wldhistoryfacts) October 14, 2022
Cochinita Pibil from Cooking Con Claudia
In Maya, Pibil means buried and that is exactly how this dish is prepared. The meat, most often pork -because you can make pibil from anything- is marinated with the juice of a Seville Orange and annatto. That distinct orange color comes from the annatto and other than the heavenly smell is what makes it instantly identifiable. After the pig is marinated, it’s wrapped in banana leaves and placed in a pit with coal at the bottom. The coal essentially smokes and pressure-cooks the meat as the entire set up is covered with dirt for a few hours while it cooks. belize-travel-blog.chaacreek.com/...
Recipe is in the YouTube description, and you won’t have to dig up your yard to make this! [13:19]
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Suburbs, even!
Maya cities were not formally planned, and were subject to irregular expansion, with the haphazard addition of palaces, temples and other buildings.[221] Most Maya cities tended to grow outwards from the core, and upwards as new structures were superimposed upon preceding architecture.[222] Maya cities usually had a ceremonial and administrative centre surrounded by a vast irregular sprawl of residential complexes.[221] en.wikipedia.org/...
Just gorgeous:
x The ancient jade "Mask of Calakmul," considered a masterpiece of Mayan art, is 1 of a set of 10 masks discovered in 1984 next to the skeletal remains of Yuknoom Yich’aak K’ahk, the last warrior king of the Maya. Collection: National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. pic.twitter.com/AuuT3aHnSh — Archaeology & Art (@archaeologyart) September 15, 2022
What was life like for the ancient Maya? Weird History takes a look
[C]hances are, you have no idea what everyday life was really like for the ancient Mayans. From ballgames to body piercings to getting hopped up on chocolate, the ancient Mayan culture has a lot more in common with our world today than you'd probably ever think. From the YouTube description
[9:52]
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The Maya knew about zero long before the Spanish came.
Closely related to Mayan religion—indeed, inextricable from it—was the impressive development of mathematics and astronomy. In mathematics, positional notation and the use of the zero represented a pinnacle of intellectual achievement. www.britannica.com/...
Wow.
x the Bonampak Murals were discovered in Mexico in the 1940's and are considered one of the masterworks of Ancient Maya art and has earned Bonampak the nickname of “The Sistine Chapel of the Americas”.
Type in Bonampak Murals to see for yourself exactly how the Mayans looked. pic.twitter.com/uvdejNr7W6 — Zulu X (@ZuluX11) March 16, 2020
Chocolate! The Maya made it first, but YouTube thinks xocolatl is Aztec.
Cocoa beans were also ground and mixed with chili peppers, cornmeal and honey to create a drink called xocolatl (a Nahuatl word), which only the rich and noble could drink. This ancient Maya chocolate drink was very different from today's hot chocolate; it may have been served unsweetened and with a frothy texture.[28] en.wikipedia.org/...
Max Miller discusses Montezuma’s Chocolate [17:21]
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Their civilization might be gone, but Maya are still with us.
In the modern age the Maya still farm the same lands and travel the same rivers as their ancestors did from the north in the Yucatan down to Honduras. The claim that the Maya somehow vanished, simply because their cities were found abandoned, is not only inaccurate but insulting to the over six million Maya who carry on the traditions of their ancestors. Though the region was Christianized in the 16th century CE conquest and inquisition, the old ways are still observed in a hybrid between European Catholicism and Mayan mysticism. www.worldhistory.org/...
Is this cool, or what?
x Mayan Incense Burner in the shape of a Seated King, 4th c. AD, from Guatemala.
Incense, in the form of tree resins such as copal, was a key component of ancient Maya rituals, as well as in contemporary rituals of Maya descendants.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. #AncientArt pic.twitter.com/9NcMNGPU7l — Digital Maps of the Ancient World (@DigitalMapsAW) November 18, 2021
Dog’s Nose Salsa from Chili Pepper Madness
in Maya “Xni Pec” literally means dog nose. That is because, if you look carefully – this isn’t your regular “pico de gallo” salsa. Those orange specks everywhere are actually ripe habanero peppers. Anyone who’s enjoyed the sting of an habanero pepper will tell you that it is a sinus cleanser, and hence, the name of this topping. The Maya related their runny pepper-attacked noses to the moist nose of a dog. belize-travel-blog.chaacreek.com/...
Recipe is in the YouTube description. [6:30]
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So c’mon into the cafe and grab a cuppa…
x When you visit the city of Oaxaca in Mexico, don't forget to visit the local markets and try delicious hot chocolate!
Here is a post about the best things to do in Oaxaca!#Oaxaca
https://t.co/oxTwuL52vz pic.twitter.com/432iU69noV — Travmex (@travmexico) October 18, 2022
..and a nice nosh…
x Pan de los Muertos is back! This traditional Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead is available now. Our bakers flavor this sweet dough with anise seed & orange zest & shape it by hand into skull & crossbones. Pairs great with coffee or hot chocolate! pic.twitter.com/Pl9GBQ2XRk — Weaver Street Market (@WeaverStreet) October 19, 2022
..and join us!
New Day Cafe is an open thread. What do you want to talk about today?
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