the future is now
(Photo credit: Wikipedia) An announcement at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con informed fans that Universal will be releasing a new King Kong movie in 2016 called Skull Island. Interestingly, Universal Orlando already has began construction on a new King Kong attraction at Islands of Adventure. Most movie-themed attractions come to theme parks after the movie […]
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Lithograph of Stela at Copan, Published in 1844 by Frederick Catherwood in Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan . : Note: This drawing depicts Stela H. It is of Waxaklahun-Ubah-K’awil in the role of the Maize God. Source: Linda Schele & Peter Mathews, The Code of Kings: The Language of Seven […]
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Chicomoztoc, the place of the seven caves. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Aztlán is the legendary land from which the Mexica, or Aztec people, believed they had migrated. The name “Aztlán” means “the place of whiteness” or “the place of the heron.” Scholars and archaeologists have long debated whether Aztlán was a real place or just a […]
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Moctesuma Esparza is joining the expansion efforts of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Mr. Esparza, CEO of Maya Cinemas, will be developing a 16 Theater Cineplex in conjunction with major expansion plans in and around Fantasy Spring Resort Casino. The 16-screen deluxe movie theatre is set to open in the […]
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Headdress of Quetzal Feathers An Aztec headdress has been across the Atlantic in Austria for nearly half a millennia – and it won’t be coming home anytime soon. The headdress, which experts believe was a gift from Aztec Emperor Moctezuma to Conquistador Hernan Cortes, is too fragile for the long journey back to Mexico. This […]
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The Aztecs had an amazingly advanced society, and their culture still fascinates us today. Whether you’re a student, a tourist, or simply curious, here are a few essential facts about the Aztec people. Detail of first page from the Boturini Codex, depicting the departure from Aztlán. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 1. The people we call “Aztecs” […]
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Nearly five hundred years ago, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlan. Emperor Moctezuma II received the Spaniards warmly with gifts of jewels and fine clothes, perhaps because he believed that the armored Spaniards marked the return of Quetzalcoatl, a major Aztec deity. The Europeans marveled at the wonders of the great city, despite their […]
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The Walt Disney Studios, the headquarters of The Walt Disney Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia) All but one of the ten most-visited amusement parks are run by Disney, the exception being Universal Studios Japan. Disney’s theme parks are core to its business model and provided nearly a third of its $45 billion revenue and 20.7% of […]
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Location of Mayan speaking populations (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The documentary “Granito: How to Nail a Dictator” tells the story of the years of struggle to bring ex-dictator of Guatemala, Rios Montt, to justice. Montt is accused of ordering the deaths of 1,771 Mayans during Guatemala’s civil war while he was in office from 1982-83. This […]
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(Photo credit: The British Library) The Getty Research Institute announced last week the acquisition of an album comprising 45 photographs of Mayan sites and one photograph of the iconic Aztec calendar stone. These rare photographs were taken in the late 1850′s by Désiré Charnay and represent some of the earliest documentation of ancient Central American […]
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