The Aztec and Mayan Civilizations in the Americas Ashley M. Carpenter Western Civilization II National University June 2, 2012 Abstract From 250 A.D. to the late 1500’s A.D. the Mayans and the Aztecs controlled Central and South America. Each was unique, but still shared a few of the same traits. Both had their own calendar system, counting system, and Polytheistic religious beliefs along with similar temples built to worship their deities. While the Aztecs were the most prominent users of human sacrifice, the Mayans also participated in such rituals. A few differences between these civilizations were the social structure, natural resources, and differing cultural strengths.
Most of the blacks are of Jamaican decent. Most of the Amerindians reside on isolated reservations. The nationality of the people of Costa Rica is Costa Rican(s) although they’re commonly referred to as “Ticos” (Visit Costa Rica). The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish but southwestern Caribbean Creole dialect of English is widely spoken around the Limon area (Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, 2011). Some native languages are still spoken on 24 indigenous reservations.
But I live in Venezuela, in a sugar cane growing area, and that book does not ring true to me. The characters are floating above their condition, not quite connecting to what it all means. Perhaps this is due to the language. The author might have overreached in trying to bring to life the language differences between creole speaking Haitians and Upper class Spaniards and Dominicans. Had the book been written in Spanish or French it might have worked, but in English it sounded more like a native versus tourist
But the difference between the both is that Cuba has yet to have a Civil Rights movement, unlike America there is much oppression still going on and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Afro-Cubans are Cubans who have Sub Saharan African ancestry. Afro-Cubans are treated the same way African-Americans were treated in the American Civil Rights era. Before Afro-Cubans did not have equal job opportunities and are not seen as equal to the White Cubans in any way. Fidel Castro addressed the issue of racial discrimination between the two classes of Cubans in a speech given in the year of 1959; he said that this was a problem that needed to be
Many think that the welfare system has kept Puerto Ricans in a cycle of poverty however; others think that it is discrimination in education and schooling is their biggest problem. Like Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans are predominately Roman Catholic which also plays in to their educational and political views. There is still a debate over whether or not Puerto Rico should remain a commonwealth, becomes a state, or be separated from the United States altogether. (Hispanic American Diversity, 2008) Most Puerto Rican people consider themselves to be American but are very loyal to their island heritage. Their culture is very family- oriented and family relations tend to be their foundation.
The impetus to bulk a nation-state came from above. In the apt judgment of Cuban independence leader Jose Marti, the elites created theoretical republics. They tended to confuse their own well- being and desires with those of the nation at large, an erroneous identification as they represented less than 5 percent of
Cuba is a nation that is misperceived and confused in terms of its economic and social classifications. Throughout the past Cuba has experienced many economic turmoil and triumphs. There are various opinions as to the current economic standing of Cuba however there is only one reality of how the people of Cuba continue to live in a socialist dictatorship. The World Bank (2003) states that poverty is an exacerbation of deprivation resulting from the interaction of economic, social and political processes (p. 15). These deprivations prevent Cubans from living the kind of life that everyone values causing vulnerability to illness, and economic disparities.
In the mid 60s”Rock Steady”-a slower tempo with emphasis on syncopation-grew out of “Ska”. However, by the late 60s, yet another new Jamaican musical form had emerged-“Reggae”, the most famous of the musical styles developed on the island. Reggae spans the globe and has influenced the music of internationally famous performers in the US, Japan, UK, South America, and the rest of the world. Cuba: For most of the eighteenth
The articles “The Buena Vista Social Club” by Tanya Katerí Hernandez and “Globalisation and the Tango” by Chris Goertzen and María Susana Azzi have both discussed the issue of the globalisation of Latin American music and how it is portrayed in foreign countries. Cuban son music emerged in the country during the 1910s and by 1930 had gained worldwide success. This style of music, a blend of Spanish canción, Spanish guitar and African rhythms and played in the clave rhythm, provided a key symbol of Afro-Cuban culture and identity while also heavily influencing other musicians and music genres. It provided Havana’s Afro-Cuban lower classes with a source of income and the chance to enter a previously European dominated market. Son was exported to the rest of the world during the 1930s and 1940s and became particularly popular in the United States, also providing the grounds for the creation of salsa music in the 1970s.
However, it is evident that Fidel would not have been as successful in conducting the revolution if it wasn’t for the underlying long term social and economic problems which essentially paved the way for revolution. Relations between the U.S and Cuba was one of the underlying economic problems affecting Cuba. Following the Spanish-American War of 1895, the United States emerged as both Cuba’s protector and primary trade partner. By the mid 1950’s American business interests controlled about 40 percent of Cuba’s sugar production and over 90 percent of Cuba’s utilities, such as electricity and communications. Ties between Cuba and America brought obvious prosperity to a limited segment of Cuba’s population though they did so at the expense of Cuba’s national potential and economic independence.