Unit 5 Lesson 3: Quiero Comprar Flashcards
Honduras, like most Central American countries, has two coasts:
the Pacific and the Caribbean
. Because of its mountainous topography, Honduras has several different climates in the different areas.
Climates in the northern part of the country are hot and humid, while in the south they are hot and dry. The center of the country is milder.
Honduras’s topography also gives it a variety of environments, such as
tropical forests, mangroves, beaches, pine forests, and coral reefs.
. Honduras has a variety of ethnicities.
Although the majority are mestizos (a mix of European and indigenous ), there are also blacks, as well as several indigenous groups, which have preserved their own languages.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the area that is now Honduras was part of the
Maya civilization. By then, though, the great Maya Empire was very much in decline.
After three centuries of Spanish rule, Honduras gained its independence as part of the United Provinces of Central America. This federation didn’t last.
Since then, Honduras has suffered from a number of civil wars and changes of government.
Honduras has many traditions, some of them quite unique. One, which has died out, was the story-telling tradition called fogaratas.
People would sit around telling stories about all sorts of ghosts. One of them is a dog called El Cadejo. (Actually, there are two—a white one and a black one.) Cadejo has its paws put on backwards so that no one can follow its tracks.
New Year’s Eve festivities are especially lively. What is Año Viejo (Old Year)
. A large figure of a man is made of rags and stuffed with old newspaper. This figure, called the Año Viejo (Old Year) is set on fire at midnight, symbolizing the death of the old year.
Have you ever seen a carpet made of sawdust? When are they used
During the Holy Week festivities, several towns in the country turn out to make these pieces of artwork. In the capital, Tegucigalpa, one of the main avenues in the city is covered with sawdust carpets, to greet the religious processions on their way to the cathedral.
How are the carpets made?
The work begins three months earlier. Sawdust in huge quantities is sifted and dyed in various bright colors. Designs are drawn up, including figures of saints, flowers, and ornamental shapes. Then, the sawdust is carefully sprinkled in one or more layers on the street. The result is a number of impressive, colorful carpets spread down the long avenue.
What happnes to the carpets when the festival is over
Once the festival is over, the sawdust is removed from the street and burned or deposited in a nearby river. This practice has raised environmental concerns, prompting some groups to use biodegradable flower petals or woven grass mats instead of sawdust
What is El Guancasco
El Guancasco (the Lenca indigenous word for peace pact) is an ancient indigenous tradition, derived from the Lenca indigenous people
What happens during El Guancasco
It is a sort of reenactment of the meeting of two neighboring native groups of people. Representatives of one group or town go to another, where they are met with a great show of hospitality and festivities. The idea is to confirm their wish to continue living together in peace and friendship.
Whats the span of the Mayan empire
the ancient Maya, who existed from about 2000 BC until the Spanish arrived.
. Even today, thousands of descendants of those early Maya make up a part of the populations of
México, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Maya writing system
The Maya writing system was made up of about a thousand symbols, sometimes called glyphs, which corresponded more or less to syllables.
Were were texts written
Texts have been found inscribed on pottery, monuments, and paper made from a type of fig tree.
The Maya people also had a calendar
The Maya people also had a calendar, based on their advanced system of astronomy. They charted the movements of the moon and planets, and could even predict eclipses.
Mayan architecture
Their architecture included cities with stone plazas, temples, and huge pyramids used for ceremonies and characterized by steps all the way up the four sides. Interesting features in some Maya cities are spacious courts for playing ball games. Large areas used for agriculture generally surrounded cities.
The Maya were also very artistic.
. Their ceramic and pottery work is decorated with figures of people, animals, and gods. They also used colorful feathers from the quetzal (a large bird that still exists in the area) to decorate the costumes of their chiefs and nobles.
The great Maya Empire had declined by the time the Spaniards arrived.
There may have been several reasons for this, including wars and overuse of the land.
Western Honduras is home to one of the great archaeological sites in the Americas:
the Maya ruins of Copán are among the most important archaeological sites of the ancient Maya civilization, located in the town of Copán Ruinas, Copán Department, Western Honduras area.
. One of the most important areas is the juego de pelota
ne of the most important areas is the juego de pelota, or ball field. Actual ball games were played here, but for a ritual and ceremonial purpose. The ball games here could mean life or death.
At the end of the ball field you see a huge stone staircase engraved from top to bottom with hieroglyphics.
These stairs, made of stone blocks, contain over 2,000 glyphs which together make up a long Maya text.
Next, you come to a large public square
This is the Plaza Mayor, an area used for ceremonies and social events. There are stands on three sides, for the public to watch the event.
Between the Plaza Mayor and the juego de pelota is an area with t
three beautiful temples, including an impressive Temple of the Sun.
