March 3, 2012

More than anyone else, Christopher Columbus is responsible for connecting the Old World to the New World. But he wasn’t the first person to reach America. So, who discovered America? Who Discovered America? I’ve long favored the idea that pre-Columbian contact between the “Old World” and “New World” was far more extensive than the history…

February 29, 2012

Deep in the jungles of the Petén Basin lies Calakmul, one of the great lost cities of the Mayas. The Lost City of Calakmul? The lost city of Calakmul remained undiscovered by outsiders until 1931. Since that time, it’s become more accessible but just barely. It’s an archaeological paradise and contains the second-largest Maya structure…

February 25, 2012

The Classic Maya Collapse is one of history’s greatest mysteries. How did it happen? And why do civilizations collapse? The Classic Maya Collapse? The Classic Maya period took place in the southern Maya lowlands of the Yucatán Peninsula, starting around 200 AD (you can see one of the remnants of that civilization up above…that’s Palenque…

February 23, 2012

The big news out of Mexico is the discovery of 23 carved stones dating back to the pre-Christopher Columbus days. Ancient Aztec Carvings? The stones, which are of Aztec origin, depict numerous myths including an ancient cosmic war that gave birth to the moon and stars. Here’s more on these strange Aztec carvings from Past…

January 8, 2012

When European settlers first ventured through Illinois, they encountered an astonishing sight – 120 colossal mounds of earth that marked the high points of an ancient city. What was the lost city of Cahokia? The Lost City of Cahokia? This lost city was constructed by the Mississippian culture around AD 600 – 1400. It is not…

January 7, 2012

Between AD 800 and 900, the Classic Maya civilization suddenly collapsed. The abrupt decline of this fascinating and highly sophisticated population has baffled archaeologists for decades. Nearly 100 theories purport to account for the collapse, including drought, revolution, and diseases. Now, Creek Indian architect and city planner Richard Thornton has added a new theory to…

December 18, 2011

Archaeologists have finally penetrated to the center of the Pyramid of the Sun’s maze of ancient tunnels. Amazingly, they’ve uncovered a cache of items that are almost 2,000 years old. What’s inside the Pyramid of the Sun? Here’s the latest on this archaeological excavation into the Pyramid of the Sun from History.com. One of Mexico’s largest…

December 17, 2011

Around 300 AD, a mysterious civilization in Colombia began to sculpt an incredible array of items out of gold. Eventually, these people would become known as the finest goldsmiths of the ancient Americas. Who were the Tairona? The Chaos Book Club So, today we have a Chaos book club bonus for you. Chaos is an adventure thriller along…