Assignment 4c- "

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "culture" is defined as "the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. It is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group ; Tthe characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time."

For assignment 3a I reviewed Renne Severson's blog. She had reported on Mayan sacrafices and the Mayan calendar. The sources of water for the Mayan's included wells, in which many people where thrown into these wells as living sacrifices to their "rain-god". One such reason for the sacrifices was simply after playing a "game" similar to our day as basketball, the losers would be cast into the wells! Another interesting fact is that the Mayan calander "ends" on December 21, 2012. Being knowledgeable astronomists they concluded that on this date the Earth will line up with the sun in the Milky Way galaxy and some believe that at this time the Earth will end.

I read Maria Nye's blog for assignment 4a. She had written on the life of Dona Marina. As a young girl, she was givevn up as a slave and then given to Cortes. He found her to be extremely helpful in his conquest due to the fact that she was fluent in Nauhtl and Maya. Dona became Cortes' chief translator and through her abilities she was able to assist Cortes in peacefully conquering the Aztecs. Otherwise he may have resorted to violence.