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Macana
The term macana, of Taíno origin, refers to various wooden weapons used by the various native cultures of Central and South America. These weapons were referred to as a hadzab or hats'ab in Yucatecan Mayan. Meaning and origin The earliest meaning attributed to ''macana'' is a sword-like weapon made out of wood, but still sharp enough to be dangerous. The term is also sometimes applied to the similar Aztec weapon, which is studded with pieces of obsidian in order to create a blade, though some authorities distinguish this item by using the Nahuatl name . In the Andes, the Spanish conquistadors applied the term "macana" to the several blunt, mace-like weapons at the disposal of the Inca army's arsenal, particularly to the ''Chaska chuqui'' (lit. star spear) and the ''Chambi'' (mace) weapons which consisted of a wooden shaft with a heavy metal (copper or bronze) or stone object at the end. As its name suggests, the ''Chaska chuqui'' tip was in a star shape to maximize the po ...
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Inca Army
The Inca army (Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Inka Awqaqkuna'') was the multi-ethnic armed forces used by the Inca Empire, Tawantin Suyu to expand its empire and defend the sovereignty of the Sapa Inca in its territory. Thanks to the military mit'a, as the empire grew in size and population, so did the army, reaching 200,000 men in a single army (during the reign of Huayna Capac). The soldiers were provided with food, clothing and state aid in replacing their family in regard to the Incan agriculture, agrarian activity that the recruited should be fulfilling, in such a way that being a permanent soldier was not a bad position and even occupied its own space in the political-social pyramid. During the Manco Inca rebellion, the soldiers used Spanish weapons and armor, and learned how to ride horses. After the retreat to Neo-Inca State, Vilcabamba, they began to use guerrilla tactics against the Viceroyalty of Peru. The Inca army was finally dissolved after the death of the last S ...
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Macuahuitl
A macuahuitl () is a weapon, a wooden sword with several embedded obsidian blades. The name is derived from the Nahuatl language and means "hand-wood". Its sides are embedded with prismatic blades traditionally made from obsidian, which is capable of producing an edge sharper than high quality steel razor blades. The macuahuitl was a standard close combat weapon. Use of the macuahuitl as a weapon is attested from the first millennium CE, although specimens can be found in art dating to at least pre-classic times. By the time of the Spanish conquest the macuahuitl was widely distributed in Mesoamerica. The weapon was used by different civilisations including the Aztec (Mexicas), Olmec, Maya, Mixtec, Toltec, and Tarascans. One example of this weapon survived the Conquest of the Aztec Empire; it was part of the Royal Armoury of Madrid until it was destroyed by a fire in 1884. Images of the original designs survive in diverse catalogues. The oldest replica is the macuahuitl ...
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Taíno People
The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The Lucayan people, Lucayan branch of the Taíno were the first New World peoples encountered by Christopher Columbus, in the Lucayan Archipelago, Bahama Archipelago on October 12, 1492. The Taíno historically spoke an Arawakan languages, Arawakan language. Granberry and Vescelius (2004) recognized two varieties of the Taino language: "Classical Taino", spoken in Puerto Rico and most of Hispaniola, and "Ciboney Taino", spoken in the Bahamas, most of Cuba, western Hispaniola, and Jamaica. They lived in agricultural societies ruled by caciques with fixed settlements and a Matrilineality, matrilineal system of kinship and inheritance. Taíno ...
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Tonfas
The ''tonfa'' ( Okinawan: , lit. ''old man's staff'' / ''"crutch"'', also spelled as ''tongfa'' or ''tuifa'', also known as T-baton) is a melee weapon with its origins in the armed component of Okinawan martial arts where it is known as the ''tunkua''. It consists of a stick with a perpendicular handle attached a third of the way down the length of the stick, and is about long. It was traditionally made from red or white oak, and wielded in pairs. The tonfa is believed to have originated in either China, Okinawa or Southeast Asia, where it is used in the respective fighting styles. History Regional variants Although the tonfa is most commonly associated with the Okinawan martial arts, its origin is heavily debated. One of the most commonly cited origins is China, although origins from Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprisi ...
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Taíno
The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The Lucayan people, Lucayan branch of the Taíno were the first New World peoples encountered by Christopher Columbus, in the Lucayan Archipelago, Bahama Archipelago on October 12, 1492. The Taíno historically spoke an Arawakan languages, Arawakan language. Granberry and Vescelius (2004) recognized two varieties of the Taino language: "Classical Taino", spoken in Puerto Rico and most of Hispaniola, and "Ciboney Taino", spoken in the Bahamas, most of Cuba, western Hispaniola, and Jamaica. They lived in agricultural societies ruled by caciques with fixed settlements and a Matrilineality, matrilineal system of kinship and inheritance. Taíno ...
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Aztec Codices
Aztec codices ( , sing. ''codex'') are Mesoamerican manuscripts made by the pre-Columbian Aztec, and their Nahuatl-speaking descendants during the colonial period in Mexico. Most of their content is pictorial in nature and they come from the multiple Indigenous groups from before and after Spanish contact. Differences in styles indicate regional and temporal differences. The types of information in manuscripts fall into several broad categories: calendar or time, history, genealogy, cartography, economics/tributes, census and cadastral, and property plans. Codex Mendoza and the Florentine Codex are among the important and popular colonial-era codices. The Florentine Codex, for example is known for providing a Nahuatal narrative of the Spanish Conquest from the viewpoint of the Indigenous people, instead of Europeans. History Before the start of the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Mexica and their neighbors in and around the Valley of Mexico relied on painted b ...
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Archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, archaeological site, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. It is usually considered an independent academic discipline, but may also be classified as part of anthropology (in North America – the four-field approach), history or geography. The discipline involves Survey (archaeology), surveying, Archaeological excavation, excavation, and eventually Post excavation, analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research. Archaeologists study human prehistory and history, from the development of the first stone tools at Lomekwi in East Africa 3.3 million years ago up until recent decades. A ...
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Lithic Studies Society
The Lithic Studies Society (LSS) was founded in 1979 to advance knowledge of, education and research in, lithic studies. The Society's members and contributors have diverse interests, spanning the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Prehistory in general, up to historic periods across the world. The Society provides a convivial forum for the exchange of ideas and information and produces. It regularly holds lectures, day meetings, conferences and field trips, publishes an annual peer-reviewed journal (''Lithics'') and occasional thematic volumes. Additionally the society promotes the highest standards of lithics research and reporting, and advocates and contributes to policies relevant to lithic studies. ''Lithics'' ''Lithics'' is the Society's annual, peer-reviewed journal first published in 1980. It is devoted to publishing research which enhances our understanding of past societies through the study of stone tools. Published in the spring of each year, ''Lithics'' con ...
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Porra Inca
A churro (, ) is a type of fried dough from Spanish and Portuguese cuisine, made with choux pastry dough piped into hot oil with a piping bag and large closed star tip or similar shape. They are also found in Latin American cuisine, Philippine cuisine and in other areas that have received immigration from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, especially in France and the Southwestern United States. In Spain, churros can either be thin (and sometimes knotted) or long and thick, where they are known as ''porras'', ''jeringos'', or ''tejeringos'' in some regions. They are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in coffee, or in hot chocolate for an afternoon snack. There are also two slightly different snacks in Portugal, called ''porra'' and fartura, which are filled with jelly instead of the ''doce de leite'' traditional to Brazilian churros. History The origin of churros is unclear. But according to food historian Michael Krondl, "today's churro is not that different fr ...
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Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Europe and the fourth-most populous European Union member state. Spanning across the majority of the Iberian Peninsula, its territory also includes the Canary Islands, in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Balearic Islands, in the Western Mediterranean Sea, and the Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, in mainland Africa. Peninsular Spain is bordered to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; to the east and south by the Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar; and to the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Spain's capital and List of largest cities in Spain, largest city is Madrid, and other major List of metropolitan areas in Spain, urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, ...
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Shield
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles such as arrows. They function as means of active blocks, as well as to provide passive protection by closing one or more lines of engagement during combat. Shields vary greatly in size and shape, ranging from large panels that protect the user's whole body to small models (such as the buckler) that were intended for hand-to-hand-combat use. Shields also vary a great deal in thickness; whereas some shields were made of relatively deep, absorbent, wooden planking to protect soldiers from the impact of spears and crossbow bolts, others were thinner and lighter and designed mainly for deflecting blade strikes (like the roromaraugi or qauata). Finally, shields vary greatly in shape, ranging in roundness to angularity, proportional length and wi ...
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Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundary, maritime boundaries with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Mexico covers 1,972,550 km2 (761,610 sq mi), and is the List of countries by area, thirteenth-largest country in the world by land area. With a population exceeding 130 million, Mexico is the List of countries by population, tenth-most populous country in the world and is home to the Hispanophone#Countries, largest number of native Spanish speakers. Mexico City is the capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city, which ranks among the List of cities by population, most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Human presence in Mexico dates back to at least 8,000 BC. Mesoamerica, considered a cradle ...
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