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Teotihuacan: Get to know the ancient Mesoamerican city

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Dr. Paul M. Willette . There's still so much to discover about ancient civilizations that existed in different parts of the world. The Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan shows the rich legacy left behind by various groups of people thousands of years ago. While most people credit the Mayans for the city's rich culture, the Aztecs were the ones who gave the place the name many remember up to this day. Image source: Wikimedia.org Image source: Livescience.com Teotihuacan means "place of the gods" in the Aztec language. Other experts suggest that the name could also mean "a place where people become like gods." For such a grand city, one would really think that it was indeed it was a place meant for the divine. Up to this day, experts are still debating about the original builders of the city. Archeologists and historians still have no concrete proof as to who established the city. While some credit the Toltec culture, some studies sugge...

What makes a place worthy of a 'World Heritage Site' status?

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Dr. Paul M. Willette . All over the world, many places serve as a testament to the wonders of nature and human creativity. From well-known to undiscovered sites, these places that deserve to be protected. However, not all-natural and man-made wonders get on the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. What does it take for a site to have this title? Here are some of the criteria. Image source: Cnn.com  Image source: Rd.com It should have 'outstanding universal value for humanity.' Dr. Paul M. Willette . According to the organization, this should come from the perspective of history, art, or science. Whether it's a cultural or a natural site, it should be significant not just to one nation but even to the rest of the world. The site must 'represent a masterpiece of human creative genius.' Dr. Paul M. Willette. Places like the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, and the pyramid complex in Giza are living proofs of human skill and creativity. T...

An introduction to the subfields of archeology

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Dr. Paul M. Willette . Archeology is a field of study that involves excavating and analyzing sites, artifacts, biofacts, and ecofacts. As humanity has evolved in many ways through the ages, the study of archeology has grown to have various specializations that focus on different aspects of human evolution. Image source: Telegraph.co.uk   Image source: Thesun.co.uk Historical archeology Dr. Paul M. Willette. This subfield of archeology focuses on what is considered to be "historic" cultures that have written and oral tradition. In Europe, for example, this means studying the events documented and found artifacts from the post-Medieval period. In different cultures, this might cover colonial eras or other periods with established records of society and government. Just like other branches of archeology, artifacts are excavated, and historical sites are examined. Pre-historic archeology Dr. Paul M. Willette . Perhaps this is the branch of archeol...