Cempoala - Totonac Capital and Ally of Hernan Cortes

Cempoala - Totonac Capital and Ally of Hernan Cortes Cempoala, also known as Zempoala or Cempolan, was the capital of the Totonacs, a pre-Columbian group that emigrated to the Gulf Coast of Mexico from the central Mexican highlands sometime before the Late Postclassic period. The name is a Nahuatl one, meaning twenty water or abundant water, a reference to the many rivers in the region. It was the first urban settlement encountered by the Spanish colonization forces in the early 16th century. The citys ruins lie near the mouth of the Actopan River about 8 kilometers (five miles) in from the Gulf of Mexico. When it was visited by Hernan Cortà ©s in 1519, the Spaniards found a huge population, estimated at between 80,000-120,000; it was the most populous city in the region.   Cempoala reached its fluorescence between the 12th and 16th century AD, after the previous capital El Tajin was abandoned after being invaded by Toltecan-Chichimecans. The City of Cempoala At its height during the late 15th century, Cempoalas population was organized into nine precincts. The urban core of Cempoala, which includes a monumental sector, covered a surface area of 12 hectares (~30 acres); housing for the citys population spread far beyond that. The urban center was laid out in the way common  to Totonac regional urban centers, with many circular temples dedicated to the wind god Ehecatl. There are 12 large, irregularly shaped walled compounds in the city center that contain the main public architecture, temples, shrines, palaces, and open plazas. The major compounds were composed of large temples bordered by platforms, which elevated the buildings above the flood level. The compound walls were not very high, serving as a symbolic function identifying the spaces which were not open to the public rather than for  defense purposes. Architecture at Cempoala Cempoalas central Mexican urban design and art reflect the norms of the central Mexican highlands, ideas which were reinforced by the late 15th-century Aztec dominance. Most of the architecture is built of river cobbles cemented together, and the buildings were roofed in perishable materials. Special structures such as temples, shrines, and elite residences had a masonry architecture built of cut stone. Important buildings include the Sun temple or Great Pyramid; the Quetzalcoatl temple; the Chimney Temple, which includes a series of semicircular pillars; the Temple of Charity (or Templo de las Caritas), named after the numerous stucco skulls that adorned its walls; the Cross Temple, and the El Pimiento compound, which has exterior walls decorated with skull representations. Many of the buildings have platforms with multiple stories of low height and vertical profile. Most are rectangular with broad stairways. Sanctuaries were dedicated with polychrome designs on a white background. Agriculture The city was surrounded by an extensive canal system and a series of aqueducts which provided water to the farm fields around the urban center as well as the residential areas. This extensive canal system allowed water distribution to fields, diverting water from main river channels. The canals were part of (or built onto) a large wetland irrigation system that is thought to have been built during the Middle Postclassic [AD 1200-1400] period. The system included an area of sloping field terraces, on which the city grew cotton, maize, and agave. Cempoala used their surplus crops to participate in the Mesoamerican trade system, and historic records report that when famine struck the Valley of Mexico between 1450-1454, the Aztecs were forced to barter their children to Cempoala for maize stores. The urban Totonacs at Cempoala and other Totonac cities used home gardens (calmil), backyard gardens which provided domestic groups at the family or clan level with vegetables, fruits, spices, medicines, and fibers. They also had private orchards of cacao or fruit trees. This dispersed agrosystem gave the residents flexibility and autonomy, and, after the Aztec Empire took hold, allowed the homeowners to pay tributes. Ethnobotanist Ana Lid del Angel-Perez argues that the home gardens may also  have acted as a laboratory, where people tested and validated new crops and methods of growing. Cempoala Under the Aztecs and Cortà ©s In 1458, the Aztecs under the rule of Motecuhzoma I invaded the region of the Gulf Coast. Cempoala, among other cities, was subjugated and became a tributary of the Aztec empire. Tributary items demanded by the Aztecs in payment included cotton, maize, chili, feathers, gems, textiles, Zempoala-Pachuca (green) obsidian, and many other products. Hundreds of Cempoalas inhabitants became slaves. When the Spanish conquest arrived in 1519 on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Cempoala was one of the first cities visited by Cortà ©s. The Totonac ruler, hoping to break away from Aztec domination, soon became allies of Cortà ©s and his army. Cempoala was also the theater of the 1520 Battle of Cempoala between Cortà ©s and the captain Pnfilo de Narvaez, for the leadership in the Mexican conquest, which Cortà ©s handily won. After the Spanish arrival, smallpox, yellow fever, and malaria spread throughout Central America. Veracruz was among the earliest regions affected, and the population of Cempoala sharply declined. Eventually, the city was abandoned and the survivors moved to Xalapa, another important city of Veracruz. Cempoala Archaeological Zone Cempoala was first explored archaeologically at the end of the 19th century by Mexican scholar Francisco del Paso y Troncoso. American archaeologist Jesse Fewkes documented the site with photographs in 1905, and the first extensive studies were conducted by Mexican archaeologist Josà © Garcà ­a Payà ³n between the 1930s and 1970s. Modern excavations at the site were conducted by the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) between 1979-1981, and Cempoalas central core was recently mapped by photogrammetry (Mouget and Lucet 2014). The site is located on the eastern edge of the modern town of Cempoala, and it is open to visitors year-round. Sources Adams REW. 2005 [1977], Prehistoric Mesoamerica. Third Edition. Norman: University of Oklahoma PressBruggemann JK. 1991. Zempoala: El estudio de una ciudad prehispanica. Coleccion Cientifica vol 232 INAH Mexico. Brumfiel EM, Brown KL, Carrasco P, Chadwick R, Charlton TH, Dillehay TD, Gordon CL, Mason RD, Lewarch DE, Moholy-Nagy H, et al. 1980. Specialization, Market Exchange, and the Aztec State: A View From Huexotla [and Comments and Reply]. Current Anthropology 21(4):459-478.del Angel-Pà ©rez AL. 2013. Homegardens and the dynamics of Totonac domestic groups in Veracruz, Mexico. Anthropological Notebooks 19(3):5-22.Mouget A, and Lucet G. 2014. Photogrammetric archaeological survey with UAV. ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences II(5):251-258.Sluyter A, and Siemens AH. 1992. Vestiges of Prehispanic, Sloping-Field Terraces on the Piedmont of Central Veracruz, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 3(2):148-160.Smith ME. 2013. The Aztecs. New Yo rk: Wiley-Blackwell. Wilkerson, SJK. 2001. Zempoala (Veracruz, Mexico) In: Evans ST, and Webster DL, editors. Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing Inc. p 850-852. Edited and updated by K. Kris Hirst

Salary assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Salary assignment - Research Paper Example The Alberta wage survey is said to cover 400 occupations providing information about the salaries and wages for both full time and part-time employees. This has been an analysis taken in 2011. The information provided, on the other hand, is based on the occupation, geographical areas of the employees and the industry group in Alberta (WAGEinfo., 2012). The survey is said to have played and still does play a great role to the lives of the individuals in Alberta. Its role, therefore, is to help them make both their career and educational plans. The survey also determines the pay scales and, hence, developing effective public policy. Lastly, the survey is responsible for the provision of the skill shortages (Government of Alberta, 2012). Embarking on the survey conducted in 2009, we are notified that the employment and the immigration department in Alberta collaborated with the service from Canada to conduct a survey on the Alberta wages and salaries every 2 years (Government of Alberta, 2012). The survey, conversely, is meant to gather the information about the employees both full time and part time depending on their occupation, geographical area and industry group. The information gathered was meant to help the people in Alberta for ‘transition into the workforce’ (ERL, 2012). Therefore, from the above table we can deduce that the minimum starting salary for a cabinetmaker is $12, while the highest salary is $23. This leads to an average salary of $17.24. On the other hand, the top salary a cabinetmaker can get is a minimum of $22 while the highest salary is $27 leading to an average of $35 (Clark, 1998). According to Clark (1998), the minimum starting salary of a carpenter is $14 while the highest is $38.63. The average starting salary is $22.74. In addition, the top salary of a carpenter is a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $45 leading to an average salary of $32.61. The chefs get a minimum starting salary

Promotional and Advertising Strategies Assignment - 2

Promotional and Advertising Strategies - Assignment Example From this discussion it is clear that  the owners of the Ford still have the primary control of their company compared to GM that is politically controlled and the federal government has some impact on the business. The two companies are very different in culture as well as their marketing strategies. For example, General Motors have pulled itself out of Facebook while Ford is making the platform to influence the world more and more. GM got assistance from the government to overcome the storm while Ford found its way to the crisis and survived.This paper outlines that  the social marketing strategy of the two companies is interesting in several ways like, while GM strives and tries to use the traditional methods in marketing their products by abandoning their Facebook account, Ford is on the other hand attempting to embrace the social platform to connect with its customers that give it a competitive edge.  Scholars have always talked about using social media as one way of reach ing the potential customers of a given product and get a lot of benefits from this strategy. Comparing these two companies, Ford has been ranked as the number one company using Facebook to help itself, their brand and the stakeholders too. Ford is said to understand the ways of reaching the new market while GM does not seem to understand these methods.  While GM tries to dictate where it wants its customers to go, Ford, on the other hand, tries to listen to its clients and make products that suit their customers' specifications.

Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Essay Example for Free

Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Essay Quantitative research – is a formal, objective, systematic research which bases on precise figures. While conducting such kind of research, an investigator collects and analyzes data and statistics. The main purposes of applying quantitative method of research are: description of variables; examination of relationship among variables; determination of cause-and-effect interactions between variables (Burns Grove,2005). Qualitative research – in contrast to quantitative, is a kind of research which mainly concentrates on observations, questionnaires, reports and other ways of subjective investigations. The key features of qualitative research are: focus on meanings, perspectives and understandings; emphasis on process; inductive analysis, and grounded theory (Woods, 2006). The basic differences between quantitative and qualitative research lie in methods and instruments they apply, types of data they collect and generate, in their main perspectives. The instruments used in quantitative research are strict about extracting information and dividing it into categories. Quantitative methods are highly structured and include various surveys, questionnaires, and structured observations. In qualitative research, more flexible and frequentative instruments are applied. Qualitative methods, unlike quantitative ones, are semi-structured. To these methods belong interview, focus group, questionnaire, and participant observation. Quantitative research, in contrast to qualitative, operates with numerical data. Qualitative research, as a rule, uses textual data (Mack, Woodsong, et al., 2005). The most important feature which differentiates one research from another is flexibility. Usually, the procedure of quantitative research is prescribed in advance. Therefore, it excludes any unforeseen changes during the process of research. For instance, the questions in quantitative research are well thought-out, concrete, and closed. Moreover, the order of questions is also fixed. In such a way, quantitative research, due to its inflexibility, makes meaningful contribution to common investigation. The stages of qualitative research may be changed during the research procedure. The questions in qualitative research are mostly open. It enables the participants to give more reasonable answers and sometimes, even to go into detail. Therefore, spontaneity became a distinctive feature of qualitative research, which made the process of research less formal (Mack, Woodsong, et al., 2005). References Burns, N., Grove, S.K. (2005). The practice of nursing research: conduct, critique, and utilization (5th Ed.). St. Louis, Elsevier Saunders. Retrieved from http://www.researchproposalsforhealthprofessionals.com/definition_of_quantitative_resea.htm Mack, N., Woodsong, C., MacQueen, M. K., Guest, G., Namey, E. (2005). Qualitative research methods: A data collector’s field guide. Retrieved from http://www.fhi360.org/nr/rdonlyres/emgox4xpcoyrysqspsgy5ww6mq7v4e44etd6toiejyxalhbmk5sdnef7fqlr3q6hlwa2ttj5524xbn/datacollectorguideenrh.pdf Woods, P. (2006). Qualitative research. Retrieved from http://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/qualitative%20methods%202/qualrshm.htm

John Locke and the Unequal Distribution of Wealth Essay example -- Empi

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is stated by John Locke that in the state of nature no man may take more then he can consume. â€Å"†¦make use of any advantage of life before it spoils†¦whatever is beyond this is more than his share and belongs to others. Nothing was made by God for man to spoil or destroy. (Locke 14)† Locke then goes on to say, â€Å"God gave the world to man †¦ for their benefit and the greatest conveniences of life they were capable to draw from it, it cannot be supposed he meant it should always remain common and uncultivated. He gave it to the use of the industrious and rational- and labor was to be his title†¦ (Lock 15)† Both of statements can stand alone, each could be argued. For starters, it is not only selfish to take more then you ever will be able to use, it is just stupid, and if you make it with your sweat, why shouldn’t it be yours to keep or profit from. The only problem is, that one of these statements is the head of a starving serpent, and the other its delicious tale. It is hard to believe the head could stay alive without devouring the tale. We should start this argument at the head and work our way down. If John Locke were alive today he would be a lawyer. Not just any lawyer though, a big business lawyer working for a company like Enron. He would try to justify the destruction caused by overly rich, overly powerful people, with statements such as ones that will follow. When first reading Locke you might think, â€Å" Hey, this guy sounds like a lawyer....

How did Tolstoy have such a fascinating insight to every level of society?

Leo Tolstoy, -a Russian novelist, a social and moral philosopher and one of the greatest writers of all time- lived during the period of realism. Most of his works present the reader to Russian life in the early 19th century and some of them deal with Russia's past history or social system. How did Tolstoy have such a fascinating insight to every level of society? How did history or the people around him influence his writing? In what ways did he, himself influence people through his writing? Why do people, today read his works all over the world? Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828, at Yasnaya Polyana, his parents' estate close to Moscow. His mother died when he was two years old. His father was a landowning nobleman, and he died when his son turned nine. Orphaned at an early age, Tolstoy was raised by his aunt, a deeply religious woman. The young Tolstoy received his first education from German and French tutors who taught him at home. Having a good education seemed really important in his eyes, so he attended a university where he studied law and languages. After having lost interest and disagreeing with some of the teachers, he left without a degree and went back to his family's old estate to continue the family tradition. (McGraw-Hill, p. 481) There he set out to reform the imperfect Russian society. During his college years Tolstoy came across some famous works of Jean Jacques Rousseau. The words of the French political thinker, who lived during the years of Enlightment, made a huge impact on the young Tolstoy. Rousseau had great trust in the common people, those who were mostly looked down by higher society. He argued in favor of equality and called for the abolition of all titles of rank and nobility. Tolstoy liked these views and agreed with most of them. He, too, had had faith in the lower classes and clearly saw the faults of nobility. â€Å"Man is born free, and everywhere is in chains,† was his favorite quote from Rousseau. (World History, p. 435) But never would he have imagined what kind of a conflict he got himself into by expressing his views on society. Tolstoy saw the dissipation and extravagance of high society, and also the injustices and poverty of serfs. Serfs were the people forced to work on the land in Russia's feudal system. The feudal system in Russia meant that poor families received land, food and housing from a nobleman, and they worked and served him in return. These people were treated very badly, they lived among horrible conditions and they had no hope of ever improving their condition of life because they never received any education. Tolstoy clearly saw the injustices of this situation and he was saddened to see generations of people sentenced to working for someone else with no way out. He was determined to become a model farmer and a â€Å"father† to his serfs. (McGraw-Hill, p. 481) He traveled to France and Germany and visited several dozen elementary schools across Europe. Finally, Tolstoy set up a school for peasant children, giving them a way to escape their destiny. Because of these actions Tolstoy became in conflict with higher society, which was not happy about the increasing awareness of serfs. His family also limited his generosity; his wife was especially annoyed because of her husband's charity towards the poor. Tolstoy married his wife when he was 34 and Sofya Andreyevna Bers was 16 years younger then her husband. She was a very intelligent, strong-willed woman who gave Tolstoy great happiness and 13 children. Tolstoy continued to work with his serfs and convinced his friends and other people around him to try and better the life of the work force. To everyone's astonishment his estate thrived under the new system where serfs were paid and given education and they lived among better conditions. By making these changes in his estate's economic life and managing it successfully, he convinced many other landowners to improve, too. After the birth of his children, Tolstoy had his own family to think about. Although he never had financial problems, he had to provide a living for his quickly growing family. In the next 15 years he raised a large family and as an escape from everyday problems into the past he wrote his two greatest novels: War and Peace and Anna Karenina. War and Peace represents a high point in Tolstoy's life. It is the story of 1812 when Napoleon, a French general attacked Russia. The story contains 559 characters; important military battles and portrays of historically famous people. The main theme, however is the changing lives of four Russian aristocratic families. Its general message is love of life in all circumstances which was inspired by Tolstoy's personal happiness. The shorter novel of Anna Karenina also deals with high Russian society, but it is more of a psychological work than any of his other pieces. This novel gives the reader the idea that Tolstoy greatly disapproves of intellectuality and urban sophistication and is tormented by the mission of humans in this world (http://www. geocities. com/Athens/Acropolis/6681/tolstoyb. tm). War and Peace and Anna Karenina realistically portrays Russian society in the early 19th century and probably that is the reason why every generations of people all over the world enjoy Tolstoy's works. The next 15 years were spent with seeking the ultimate meaning of life. Tolstoy went through a serious, long-lasting spiritual crisis that gave birth to two of his lesser- known works: Confession and Critique of Dogmatic The ology. In these writings he bravely attacked social inequality and the ultimate powers of government and church. His life was more and more dominated by the desire to achieve social justice and an acceptable system of moral principles. At this time he became involved with public matters and participated in many social events. During this period Tolstoy's relationship with his family became estranged. He planned on giving away all his wealth, but his wife would not hear of it. She would not share the thought of her husband that by doing good things to others might help you achieve understanding of the meaning of life. Finally, they reached a compromise and Sofya received the copyright to all his works before 1881. McGraw-Hill, p. 483) Tolstoy's last years were filled with his worldwide celebration, but they bought him great unhappiness. During these years he lived far from the world, and led a quiet life. Rejecting the foundations of Russian society and religion he established his own religion in which he explained that God lives in all people. The Eastern Orthodox Church for his view of God excommunicated Tolstoy. At the age of 82, in 1910, increasingly tormented by his personal beliefs, religious persecution, his personal wealth and by the hopeless quarrels with his wife, he decided to leave his family. He set out on his last pilgrimage in search of justification and truth. Three days later he fell ill and died on November 20, in the home of a station manager. He was later buried at his dear Yasnaya Polyana, where he spent most of his happiest years. Tolstoy benefitted from many things he received in his childhood. When foreign teachers tutored him he learned their languages completely. Therefore he knew Russian, his native language, and he spoke French and German perfectly, too. He later applied this knowledge in his books, writing in all three languages. The concept of God and the purpose and meaning of religion troubled Tolstoy throughout his life. He had always been in search of the concept of right or wrong, but never could achieve an understanding of the matter. Tolstoy' on ideas on religion and on nonresistance to evil influenced Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Both of these men fought nonviolently for rights and the well being of their people: Gandhi in India against the British and Luther King for equality for blacks. Other famous Russian authors of this period were Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ivan Turgenev. McGraw-Hill, p. 484) Tolstoy's life seems a little bit of struggle at some points, but he really gave a lot to this world. He made a huge difference by getting rid of his convictions and doing what he thought was best for society. He even had the courage to express his views that were not welcomed by most of the people around him. Tolstoy is known for his books, however, that bought him worldwide acclaim in his living, but he is still celebrated today as one of the world's greatest author of all times.

The Government Of The United States Government Essay

Madison Cissell MSU 176 Symposium Primary: United States Government Secondary: Tourism The United States government is the federal government of the America’s fifty states, as well as one capital district, and several other territories. The federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are settled by the U.S. Constitution in Congress, our President, and the federal courts (including the Supreme Court). The powers of these branches are defined by acts of Congress, including the creation of the executive departments and of the courts secondary to the Supreme Court. The outline of the government of America is laid out in the Constitution. The government was formed in 1789, making the United States one of the world s first modern national republic. The United States government is based on the different principles of federalism and republicanism, in which the power is shared between the federal and state governments. The interpretation and execution of these principles has been debated ever since the adoption of the Constitution. Some are in support of extensive federal powers while others argue for a more limited role in relation to individuals. One of the theoretical pillars in the United States Constitution is the idea of checks and balances being found among the powers and responsibilities of the three branches. Congress is the legislative branch and is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives andShow MoreRelatedThe Government Of The United States Government926 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States government was created by the founding fathers to allow men to be free, but to also have a governmental system that protects that freedom as well. The United States government is problematic. It goes above and beyond the necessity and, because of this, is dysfunctional at best. The government today has gone beyond protecting the rights of American citizens. 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