Latest news with #Mesoamerica
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ancient Maya quiz: What do you know about the civilization that built pyramids across Mesoamerica?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The ancient Maya civilization stretched throughout Central America and lasted for nearly three millennia. Although never unified into one massive empire, the Maya controlled dozens of city-states, also known as "polities," which arose when people settled in permanent villages and began to cultivate maize. The ancient Maya are well known for their pyramids and for their series of calendars — one of which convinced many people that the world would end in an apocalypse on Dec. 21, 2012. While the ancient political system collapsed between A.D. 800 and 1000, the society did not. Today, more than 7 million Maya live in their original homelands and beyond. Are you up to date on recent research on the ancient Maya? Take our quiz to find out. Remember to log in to put your name on the leaderboard; hints are available if you click the yellow button! Ancient Egypt quiz: Test your smarts about pyramids, hieroglyphs and King Tut Viking quiz: How much do you know about these seaborne raiders, traders and explorers? Pompeii quiz: How much do you know about the Roman town destroyed by Mount Vesuvius?
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
US scientists make rubber 10 times tougher, 4x more crack-resistant under repeated stress
Materials scientists in the U.S. have just given natural rubber a major upgrade by developing a method to make it stronger and significantly more resistant to cracking, without compromising its signature stretchiness, even after repeated cycles of use. Led by Zhigang Suo, an Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett professor of mechanics at materials at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the study explored crack growth, one of rubber's most persistent weaknesses. According to Suo and his team, while natural rubber has been used for millennia, initially by the indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica, its ability to resist cracking, particularly under repeated stress, has remained largely unimproved. "Improving crack resistance will extend the material's service lifetime and therefore improve its sustainability," Guodong Nian, PhD, a former SEAS postdoctoral researcher and first author of the study. Native to the Amazon basin and sourced from the milky latex of the Hevea tree (Hevea brasiliensis), natural rubber is a durable polymer used in everything from gloves and tires to medical devices, shoes, and conveyor belts. But the research team has now found a way to modify its traditional high-intensity vulcanization process, which usually creates short polymer chains within the material that are densely crosslinked, or chemically bonded. This, according to the team, resulted in a novel type of rubber, which they called tanglemer. Filled with long, entangled polymer strands resembling a bowl of spaghetti, the new rubber reportedly boosts durability by absorbing and distributing stress more efficiently. "We used a low-intensity processing method, based on latex processing methods, that preserved the long polymer chains," Nian explained. According to the scientists the new material is four times more resistant to slow crack growth under repeated stretching, and 10 times stronger overall. This, according to the scientists, is because when a crack forms in it, the long spaghetti strands spread out the stress by sliding past each other, allowing more rubber to crystallize as it stretches, ultimately making the material more resilient. "We imagined that the properties would be enhanced maybe twice or three times, but actually they were enhanced by one order of magnitude," Chen concluded in a press release, adding that the key to the discovery lies in replacing the dominance of chemical crosslinks. Yet, while the research highlights the benefits of preserving long polymer chains, challenges remain as the process requires significant water evaporation, limiting material yield and making it less suitable for larger products such as tires. This currently makes it less suitable for bulky applications like tires, but better suited for thin rubber products such as gloves, condoms, or other items that require flexibility without large material volume. According to the researchers, the new process also opens up possibilities for applications like flexible electronics and components for soft robotics. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation's Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (DMR-2011754) and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. It has been published in the journal Nature Sustainability.
CNN
23-05-2025
- CNN
At least 12 injured in hot air balloon crash in Mexico
At least twelve people were injured in a hot air balloon crash near an archaeological site near Mexico City on Friday, local authorities said. The balloon undertook a 'forced landing' in San Martin de las Pirámides after hitting an air pocket, according to a statement from the civil protection agency for the state of Mexico. The twelve people who were aboard are being treated for injuries at a local clinic, the statement said. Images shared by authorities and geolocated by CNN show that the crash occurred a short distance from the Pyramid of the Moon, a popular tourist site in the ancient city of Teotihuacan. The balloon lay draped over fencing and power lines along Tuxpan Avenue, a two-lane road just over a thousand feet from the base of the pyramid. The civil protection agency added that the balloon was operated by a tour company that offers hot air balloon rides to view the pyramids from above. When CNN called the number listed on the company's website, the representative would not comment on the incident. The Attorney General's Office for the state of Mexico reported that they are investigating a 29-year-old man whom police detained. According to the Mexican government, Teotihuacan was once one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon form the twin centers of the ancient ruins there. Balloon rides around the pyramids are popular among tourists visiting Mexico, according to a government tourism website. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
15-05-2025
- Science
- CNN
Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved
Hundreds of obsidian artifacts have revealed where the Aztecs acquired the volcanic glass they used for tools, ornamental pieces or religious objects centuries ago — and their vast trade networks included their rivals. A new study of the 788 pieces is the largest sample of obsidian artifacts ever analyzed for Tenochtitlán, which served as the capital city of the Aztecs — also known as the Mexica people — according to the authors, who reported their findings Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using portable X-ray fluorescence, a nondestructive way to identify geochemical fingerprints, the researchers confirmed that the Mexicas were partial to a particular green and golden obsidian to produce items for rituals. But the community also relied on everyday objects made of different kinds of obsidian, like blades for cutting and scraping, and thus had to establish a complex economic system that encouraged long-distance trade with rival societies beyond their political borders, the researchers said. 'Although the Mexicas preferred green obsidian, the high diversity of obsidian types, mainly in the form of non-ritual artifacts, suggests that obsidian tools from multiple sources reached the capital of the Empire through market,' said lead study author Diego Matadamas-Gomora, a doctoral candidate of anthropology at Tulane University in New Orleans, in a statement. 'By studying where this material came from, we can explore the movement of goods across Mesoamerica.' The research team was surprised by the variety of obsidian types found in the ancient capital, which surpasses that found at other sites in Mesoamerica. The discovery also sheds light on how the Aztec society evolved — introducing more standardized religion and control before the empire fell in 1520 — by showing how obsidian use changed over time. The Aztecs didn't discover obsidian. It was already the most common raw material in Mesoamerica when they arrived in the Basin of Mexico in 1200, and the use of obsidian on a broad scale dates to the Archaic period, which was from 6000 to 2000 BC for Mesoamerican societies, Matadamas-Gomora said. Obsidian originated from a geological formation known as the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, spanning 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the west to east coasts in central Mexico, the study authors noted. Craftspeople who had experience working with obsidian could shape the volcanic glass into incredibly sharp instruments, according to the study authors. The material's natural reflectivity and luster also enabled the Mexica people to turn obsidian into highly polished ornaments and religious objects. The artifacts examined in the study were uncovered during excavations that took place over decades from the main Aztec temple of Tenochtitlán, called the Templo Mayor, in what is now Mexico City. Nearly 90% of these obsidian artifacts came from the Sierra de Pachuca mountain range, the study found. Centuries ago, the Mexicas buried offerings of miniature weapons and jewelry within this sacred heart of the city. They considered green obsidian the most valuable of all obsidian types due to its hue and called it the 'obsidian of the masters,' Matadamas-Gomora said. The green obsidian was also thought to have a symbolic connection to Tollan, a mythical city where the god Quetzalcoatl lived, which was believed to be the ancestral origin of Mexico's civilizations. 'Most obsidians are naturally gray or black,' Matadamas-Gomora said in an email. 'Green obsidian from Sierra de Pachuca is unique and related to this specific geological source. The Aztecs recognized and valued that. In addition, the geological formation processes at the Sierra de Pachuca allowed the creation of high-quality obsidian at this source, making it ideal for producing complex ornaments.' The study highlights how important nondestructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has become to archaeology, said John Millhauser, associate professor of sociology and anthropology at North Carolina State University. Millhauser was not involved in the new study. 'Without it, we wouldn't be able to study the histories of these artifacts in such detail,' Millhauser said. 'Though the technique has only been widely used for about two decades, each new application adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of the ancient Mexica economy.' The other 10% of the artifacts were made using obsidian from seven other locations, including Otumba, Tulancingo, Ucareo and El Paraíso. While Otumba and Sierra de Pachuca were both controlled by the Aztec Empire, places like Ucareo were beyond the empire's political borders, suggesting that the Mexicas did not restrict the flow of obsidian tools from rival regions to local markets, Matadamas-Gomora said. Additionally, the tools could be found at rural as well as urban markets. The fact that people living in the heart of the capital relied on the same obsidian materials as villagers and farmers in the surrounding countryside was one of the most striking findings of the study, said Millhauser, who also directs the graduate program in anthropology at North Carolina State University. 'Considering that hundreds of thousands of people lived in the region, the scale of the obsidian supply and distribution network is extraordinary,' he said. 'It's a powerful reminder of how robust and far-reaching the economy of central Mexico was 500 years ago, with commodities like obsidian circulating widely to meet the needs of communities across the region.' Early in the Aztecs' history, obsidian for ritual and everyday objects came from limited sources. But after the Aztec Empire defeated the Tepanecs from Azcapotzalco and began imperial expansion in 1430, obsidian types increased, showing how the Mexicas expanded their commercial networks, Matadamas-Gomora said. 'Later, between (1481 and 1486), the Mexicas were ruled by a problematic tlatoani (Aztec ruler), Tízoc, who destabilized the Empire's dominance,' he said in an email. 'We see in this period that obsidian diversity was reduced to only two sources, Sierra de Pachuca and Otumba, which were historically the primary supply sources for the Mexica. After 1486, when a new ruler came to power, obsidian diversity increased again to seven sources. Therefore, our diachronic perspective on obsidian consumption revealed that the availability of this raw material was related directly to the transformations of the capital city.' Next, to better understand the ancient obsidian trade, Matadamas-Gomora wants to uncover how obsidian moved across Mesoamerica, including other archaeological sites, and arrived at Tenochtitlán. 'Archaeologists still know surprisingly little about Tenōchtitlan, the Mexica capital, largely because it lies beneath the modern sprawl of Mexico City,' Millhauser said in an email. 'Every new study offers fresh insights into the lives of its ancient residents.'
CNN
15-05-2025
- Science
- CNN
Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved
Hundreds of obsidian artifacts have revealed where the Aztecs acquired the volcanic glass they used for tools, ornamental pieces or religious objects centuries ago — and their vast trade networks included their rivals. A new study of the 788 pieces is the largest sample of obsidian artifacts ever analyzed for Tenochtitlán, which served as the capital city of the Aztecs — also known as the Mexica people — according to the authors, who reported their findings Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using portable X-ray fluorescence, a nondestructive way to identify geochemical fingerprints, the researchers confirmed that the Mexicas were partial to a particular green and golden obsidian to produce items for rituals. But the community also relied on everyday objects made of different kinds of obsidian, like blades for cutting and scraping, and thus had to establish a complex economic system that encouraged long-distance trade with rival societies beyond their political borders, the researchers said. 'Although the Mexicas preferred green obsidian, the high diversity of obsidian types, mainly in the form of non-ritual artifacts, suggests that obsidian tools from multiple sources reached the capital of the Empire through market,' said lead study author Diego Matadamas-Gomora, a doctoral candidate of anthropology at Tulane University in New Orleans, in a statement. 'By studying where this material came from, we can explore the movement of goods across Mesoamerica.' The research team was surprised by the variety of obsidian types found in the ancient capital, which surpasses that found at other sites in Mesoamerica. The discovery also sheds light on how the Aztec society evolved — introducing more standardized religion and control before the empire fell in 1520 — by showing how obsidian use changed over time. The Aztecs didn't discover obsidian. It was already the most common raw material in Mesoamerica when they arrived in the Basin of Mexico in 1200, and the use of obsidian on a broad scale dates to the Archaic period, which was from 6000 to 2000 BC for Mesoamerican societies, Matadamas-Gomora said. Obsidian originated from a geological formation known as the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, spanning 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the west to east coasts in central Mexico, the study authors noted. Craftspeople who had experience working with obsidian could shape the volcanic glass into incredibly sharp instruments, according to the study authors. The material's natural reflectivity and luster also enabled the Mexica people to turn obsidian into highly polished ornaments and religious objects. The artifacts examined in the study were uncovered during excavations that took place over decades from the main Aztec temple of Tenochtitlán, called the Templo Mayor, in what is now Mexico City. Nearly 90% of these obsidian artifacts came from the Sierra de Pachuca mountain range, the study found. Centuries ago, the Mexicas buried offerings of miniature weapons and jewelry within this sacred heart of the city. They considered green obsidian the most valuable of all obsidian types due to its hue and called it the 'obsidian of the masters,' Matadamas-Gomora said. The green obsidian was also thought to have a symbolic connection to Tollan, a mythical city where the god Quetzalcoatl lived, which was believed to be the ancestral origin of Mexico's civilizations. 'Most obsidians are naturally gray or black,' Matadamas-Gomora said in an email. 'Green obsidian from Sierra de Pachuca is unique and related to this specific geological source. The Aztecs recognized and valued that. In addition, the geological formation processes at the Sierra de Pachuca allowed the creation of high-quality obsidian at this source, making it ideal for producing complex ornaments.' The study highlights how important nondestructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has become to archaeology, said John Millhauser, associate professor of sociology and anthropology at North Carolina State University. Millhauser was not involved in the new study. 'Without it, we wouldn't be able to study the histories of these artifacts in such detail,' Millhauser said. 'Though the technique has only been widely used for about two decades, each new application adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of the ancient Mexica economy.' The other 10% of the artifacts were made using obsidian from seven other locations, including Otumba, Tulancingo, Ucareo and El Paraíso. While Otumba and Sierra de Pachuca were both controlled by the Aztec Empire, places like Ucareo were beyond the empire's political borders, suggesting that the Mexicas did not restrict the flow of obsidian tools from rival regions to local markets, Matadamas-Gomora said. Additionally, the tools could be found at rural as well as urban markets. The fact that people living in the heart of the capital relied on the same obsidian materials as villagers and farmers in the surrounding countryside was one of the most striking findings of the study, said Millhauser, who also directs the graduate program in anthropology at North Carolina State University. 'Considering that hundreds of thousands of people lived in the region, the scale of the obsidian supply and distribution network is extraordinary,' he said. 'It's a powerful reminder of how robust and far-reaching the economy of central Mexico was 500 years ago, with commodities like obsidian circulating widely to meet the needs of communities across the region.' Early in the Aztecs' history, obsidian for ritual and everyday objects came from limited sources. But after the Aztec Empire defeated the Tepanecs from Azcapotzalco and began imperial expansion in 1430, obsidian types increased, showing how the Mexicas expanded their commercial networks, Matadamas-Gomora said. 'Later, between (1481 and 1486), the Mexicas were ruled by a problematic tlatoani (Aztec ruler), Tízoc, who destabilized the Empire's dominance,' he said in an email. 'We see in this period that obsidian diversity was reduced to only two sources, Sierra de Pachuca and Otumba, which were historically the primary supply sources for the Mexica. After 1486, when a new ruler came to power, obsidian diversity increased again to seven sources. Therefore, our diachronic perspective on obsidian consumption revealed that the availability of this raw material was related directly to the transformations of the capital city.' Next, to better understand the ancient obsidian trade, Matadamas-Gomora wants to uncover how obsidian moved across Mesoamerica, including other archaeological sites, and arrived at Tenochtitlán. 'Archaeologists still know surprisingly little about Tenōchtitlan, the Mexica capital, largely because it lies beneath the modern sprawl of Mexico City,' Millhauser said in an email. 'Every new study offers fresh insights into the lives of its ancient residents.'
