This vast collection contains a collection of books on the history of South America and its ancient civilizations that inhabited the lands well before discovery. Most of the people living in that region have their roots from different cultural backgrounds such as Inca, Mayan, and Aztec. With such diversified origin, the native language of different families and groups in South America spans numerous societies and covers several areas of territory. People in present-day South America cut across various cultural and social backgrounds and their origin is traced to different environmental and geographical settings. The languages existing in South America currently can be classified in various types; however, some major language families or types that are prominently spoken in South America include Ge-Pano-Carib and Macro-Chibchan. The cultural backgrounds that formed the civilization in Native South America had a peculiar and distinct history.
Inca Civilization
Around the year 1200, the people of Inca began their existence in the Valley of Cuzco in the Andes Mountains of Central Peru. Gradually, as the years rolled by, they started increasing and expanding their empire; this was between 1440 and 1500. They grew to the extent that their population was about 16 million people, dwelling in a large geographical setting that spanned almost 2,500 miles from the north to south. Some diverse landscapes and topographies characterized where they settled such as valley-like jungles, mountains, and coastal deserts.
The Inca people also maintained law and order at that time. A central government formed laws and regulations that governed the people and they had a powerful military. Civilization and industrialization were also evident in terms of the construction of roads, bridges, and tunnels.
Aztec Civilization
After settling on an island in 1325, the Aztecs had people who engaged in numerous skills such as farmers and builders; this facilitated the development of their capital and largest city. They had a favorable climate for agriculture and natural resources were in surplus. The Aztec empire continued to expand and flourish well into the 1500s with its society evolving as time went on. Their progress came to an end in 1519 when the Spanish explorers, under the command by Hernan Cortes, landed at the town of Tabasco. Cortes and the Spanish learned about the Aztec civilization and plotted to invade Tenochtitlan, the stronghold of the Aztec ruler, Moctezume (or Montezuma) II.
The Spaniards, with the assistance of certain native tribes that were at war with Montezuma, were able to gain control of Tenochtitlan on November 1519. Montezuma and his entourage of lords were captured, which led to the killings of thousands of Aztec nobles by the Spaniards. Montezuma eventually died during custody in the hands of the Spaniards. His nephew, Cuauhtemoc, took over as the new emperor of the Aztecs. They briefly drove the Spaniards out of the city, however, in August of 1521, Cortes and his allies returned and defeated Cuahtemoc's army, effectively ending the Aztec civilization.
Over 240,000 Aztecs believed to have died during the invasion by the Spaniards. The Aztecs also had to deal with novel diseases that were imported by the Europeans, such as smallpox, mumps, and measles. Because the Aztec people did not have any immunity to the novel diseases, the Aztec population was reduced by as much as 40% in a span of just a few years.
Mayan Civilization
The Mayan civilization inhabited Yucatan around the 2600 B.C. time period. Yucatan is now known today as southern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras, and northern Belize. The term "Maya" is derived from the ancient Yucatan city of Mayapan. Between 250 and 950 CE, the Mayan civilization was at its height of progression. This period was known as the Classic Maya Period, in which we saw the emergence of Mayan architecture, mathematics, visual arts, and astronomy. The Mayans developed calendar systems, hieroglyphic writings, and exquisite ceremonial architectures - such as temples, palaces, pyramids, and observatories. Keep in mind that all of these elaborate structures were built without the use of metal tools. The Mayans were also highly skilled in weaving, carving, pottery, and farming.
The Mayan writing system is made of 800 glphys. These glpys were chiseled into stone or made inside codices - ancient books created from fig bark, covered in white lime, and bounded by jaguar skins. They wrote hundreds of codices that contained valuable information on Mayan history, astronomy, medicine, tradition, and religion. During the Spanish conquest, the Spanish missionaries destroyed all but 4 codices, which still remains intact today.
The Mayan civilization came to an end around A.D. 900. The decline of the Mayan civilization is still a mystery today. Scholars theorized that it could be due to a variety of reasons that are still debated today. One of the causes could be due to the Spanish conquest and the widespread of novel European diseases from which the Mayans had no immunity against. Most of the Mayan population were enslaved by the Spanish, with lands being divided among Spanish bureaucrats. An erosion of the traditional system of dynastic power could have resulted from inter city-state competition and changes in trade partners. Other causes could be due to environmental changes, such as long droughts, which would have led to an exhaustion of natural resources to feed a large population.
Take a look at the sample pages taken from just some of these books in the collection.
All of the book titles that are included in this DVD are listed as follows:
A primer of Mayan hieroglyphics by D. G. Brinton (1895)
A study of the manuscript Troano by C. Thomas (1882)
An introduction to the study of the Maya hieroglyphs by S. Morley (1915)
Animal figures in the Maya codices by A. Tozzer (1910)
Antiquarian, ethnological, and other researches in New Granada, Equador, Peru and Chili, with observations on the pre-Incarial, Incarial and other monuments of Peruvian nations by W. Bollaert (1860)
Auf den Spuren der Azteken ein mexikanisches Reisebuch by A. Goldschmidt (1927)
Central American hieroglyphic writing by C. Thomas (1904)
Corona mexicana ó historia de los nueve Motezumas by D. L. Motezuma (1914)
Descripción histórica y cronológica de las dos piedras que con ocasión del nuevo empedrado que se está formando en la plaza principal de México by A. Leon y Gama (1832)
Descriptive catalogue of the archaeological, historical and artistic collections of Eufemio Abadiano by E. Abadiano (1885)
Diccionario de Motul, maya español Vol. 1 by A. Cuidad Real (1577)
Diccionario de Motul, maya español Vol. 2 by A. Cuidad Real (1577)
El reino de los Incas del Perú by G. de la Vega (1918)
Galería de antiguos príncipes mejicanos dedicada a la suprema potestad nacional que les succediere en el mando para su mejor gobierno by C. Bustamante (1821) Gramática quechua ó del idioma del imperio de los incas by J. D. Anchorena (1874)
Heirs Of The Incas by C. K. Michener (1924)
Historia de la conquista de Mexico by B. Sahagun (1829)
Historia de las cosas de Nueva España Vol. 6 Pt. 2 by B. Sahagun (1905)
Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España Vol. 1 by B. Sahagun (1829)
Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España Vol. 2 by B. Sahagun (1829)
Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España Vol. 3 by B. Sahagun (1829)
Historical researches on the conquest of Peru, Mexico, Bogota, Natchez, and Talomeco, in the thirteenth century by the Mongols by J. Ranking (1827)
History of the conquest of Peru - with a preliminary view of the civilization of the Incas Vol. 1 by W. H. Prescott (1847)
History of the conquest of Peru - with a preliminary view of the civilization of the Incas Vol. 2 by W. H. Prescott (1847)
History of the Incas by P. Sarmiento de Gamboa (1907)
In the wonderland of Peru - the work accomplished by the Peruvian expedition of 1912 by H. Bingham (1913)
La religión del imperio de los incas Vol. 1 by J. Jijon (1919)
La terre tempérée - scenes de la vie mexicaine by L. Biart (1866)
Las cartas americanas parte primera Cremona por Lorenzo Marini impresor regio, 1781 by G. R. Carli (1821)
Les Aztèques; histoire, murs, coutumes by L. Biart (1885)
Les Incas, ou la destruction de l'empire du Prou by J. Marmontel (1824)
Leti u ebanhelio Hezu Crizto hebix Huan (1869)
Los comentarios reales de los incas Vol. 1 by G. de la Vega (1918)
Los comentarios reales de los incas Vol. 2 by G. de la Vega (1918)
Los comentarios reales de los incas Vol. 3 by G. de la Vega (1918)
Los comentarios reales de los incas Vol. 4 by G. de la Vega (1918)
Los comentarios reales de los incas Vol. 5 by G. de la Vega (1918)
Los comentarios reales de los incas Vol. 6 by G. de la Vega (1918)
Manuscrit Troano - études sur le système graphique et la langue des Mayas Vol. 1 (1869)
Manuscrit Troano - études sur le système graphique et la langue des Mayas Vol. 2 (1869)
Mayan nomenclature by C. Bowditch (1906)
Memoranda on the Maya calendars used in the books of Chilan Balam by C. P. Bowditch (1901)
Mexican archæology, an introduction to the archæology of the Mexican and Mayan civilizations of pre-Spanish America by T. A. Joyce (1920)
Montezuma. An epic on the origin and fate of the Aztec nation by H. H. Richmond (1885)
Narratives of the rites and laws of the Yncas by C. Markham (1873)
O triumpho da natureza by V. P. Nolasco da Cunha (1809)
Old civilizations of Inca land by C. W. Mead (1924)
Our sister republic a gala trip through tropical Mexico in 1869-70. Adventure and sight-seeing in the land of the Aztecs by A. Evans (1870)
Peru - history of coca, the divine plant of the Incas. With an introductory account of the Incas and of the Andean Indians of to-day by W. G. Mortimer (1901)
Peru; incidents of travel and exploration in the land of the Incas by E. G. Squier (1877)
Poems by A. L. Taveau (1884)
Primera[-tercera] parte de los veinte i vn libros rituales i monarchia indiana con el origen y guerras, de los indios ocidentales, de sus poblaçones Vol. 1 by J. Torquemada (1723)
Primera[-tercera] parte de los veinte i vn libros rituales i monarchia indiana con el origen y guerras, de los indios ocidentales, de sus poblaçones Vol. 2 by J. Torquemada (1723)
Primera[-tercera] parte de los veinte i vn libros rituales i monarchia indiana con el origen y guerras, de los indios ocidentales, de sus poblaçones Vol. 3 by J. Torquemada (1723)
Rambles in Brazil or, A peep at the Aztecs, by A. Payne (1854)
Recuerdos de la monarquía peruana, ó, Bosquejo de la historia de los incas (1850)
Sacred flowers of the Aztecs by W. Safford (1912)
The ancient phonetic alphabet of Yucatan by D. G. Brinton (1870)
The Aztec and Maya papermakers by V. W. Von Hagen (1944)
The Aztec god, and other dramas by G. L Raymond (1916)
The Aztec treasure-house, a romance of contemporaneous antiquity by T. A. Janvier (1901)
The Aztecs (Indian races) by A. Honeyman (1905)
The Aztecs by W. Warren (1894)
The Aztecs, their history, manners, and customs by L. Biart (1887)
The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel by J. Hofl (1913)
The books of Chilan Balam, the prophetic and historic records of the Mayas of Yucatan by D. G. Brinton (1882)
The fall of Tollan by J. E. Routh (1905)
The historical value of the books of Chilan Balam by S. Morley (1911)
The Incas the children of the sun by T. Groesbeck (1896)
The Incas and their industries by H. van den Bergh (1921)
The Incas of Peru by C. Markham (1912)
The inscriptions at Copan by S. Morley (1920)
The magic and mysteries of Mexico or, The Arcane secrets and occult lore of the ancient Mexicans and Maya by L. Spence (n.d.)
The musical instruments of the Incas; a guide leaflet to the collection on exhibition in the American Museum of Natural History by C. W. Mead (1903)
The secret of the Pacific; the early civilisations of America, the Toltecs, Aztecs, Mayas, Incas, and their predecessors by C. R. Enock (1912)
The stone of the sun and the first chapter of the history of Mexico by E. J. Palacios (1921)
The study of American hieroglyphs by L. W. Gunckel (1897)
The treasure of the Incas; a tale of adventure in Peru by G. A. Henty (1911)
Tizoc, great lord of the Aztecs, 1481-1486 by M. Saville (1929)
Tlaloc - exploración arqueológica del Oriente del Valle de México by L. Batres (1903)
Vitcos, the last Inca capital by H. Bingham (1912)