My Blogger
group set up another challenge this week based on the following incomplete
sentence:
“When it
comes to reality TV shows, I…”
So here is
my personal way of completing this sentence:
When it
comes to reality TV shows, I usually pass them by!
I prefer
another kind of “reality” centered on the various puzzles that Spanish America
has to offer.
So my time
is completely taken up as I enquire about numerous very absorbing and controversial
topics.In this
post I describe a short list.
MY LIST
The Monte Verde Archaeological site
in southern Chile.
The ongoing
study of this particular site has undermined the traditional belief that the
first humans entered the New World by crossing into Alaska along the Bering
Land Bridge about 11,000 BP and then gradually spread south to inhabit the rest
of the continent.
The dating
obtained from the Monte Verde site shows that human inhabitants were living
there in a settlement about 13,000 BP, which would be an impossible result for
a terrestrial migration. The only plausible explanation seems to be that humans
spread this far south by following a coastal route and actually sailing down
the western coasts of both North and South America.
The
controversy over the findings at this site has been ongoing for several
years. Many academics from various parts
of the world have tried to reject these findings. However, the Chilean
Government, by means of the National Monuments Council, has submitted this site
for consideration by UNESCO, to be included as a World Heritage Nomination.
So how and
when did the first Americans (both North and South) get here? A tantalizing and
absorbing question!
THE MONTE VERDE SITE, CHILE
Source: Rodolfo Ditzel Lacoa, CC BY SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.
The mystery of the Fuegians and
Patagonians
When
Charles Darwin travelled through the extreme South Cone of South America, he
met and studied several indigenous inhabitants which have since been referred
to as the Fuegians and the Patagonians. Recent genetic studies have produced an
exciting mystery: the genetics of these people (now extinct) do not correspond
to those of the Amerindians, as the so called “first inhabitants” of the
Americas are frequently described.
Experts on
genetics are now describing these primitive tribes as “paleo-amerindians, and
have decided that these inhabitants were here before the so-called “first
inhabitants”
This means
that when the first humans migrated into North America, they were not really
the first inhabitants of the New World. The Patagonians were there before them!
So where
did these ancient people come from? It is thought that they are connected to
Australia and the Pacific islands, but this has not been proved as yet. Would this be possible? Another interesting
adventure to unfold!
The strange story of the chicken
bones at El Arenal, Chile
On
excavating a site at El Arenal in the province of Arauco, Chile, some 50
chicken bones were found. The DNA research on these bones has shown that they
are related to Polynesian chicken bones, basically from the island of Tonga.
The
radio-carbon dating shows results consistent with the colonization of the more
easterly islands of the South Pacific such as Easter Island. This has in turn
strengthened the idea of contact between the southern American cultures and the
Polynesian people.
Now, would
this be the origin of the Chilean “Araucana” chicken that lays blue eggs?
Nobody really knows. The only clear fact seems to be that there were chickens
in South America before the Spaniards arrived, and this is very contrary to
traditional thought.
The mystery of the great variety in
architectural design in the Americas
This
mystery is too complex to really deal with in this post, but the central idea
that strikes my imagination, is related to the differences between the
pre-Columbian cultures of North America, that is the US and Canada, as compared
to the Spanish American archaeological
sites.
On the one
hand we have earthworks, constructed by the so called “mound builders”, to be
found at locations like Cahokia of the Mississippi culture; on the other hand
we have the massive stone structures to be found in Mexico, Yucatan, and in
numerous places along the South American Andes, such as Saposoa, Pumapuncu at
Tiwanaku (Bolivia-Peru), Sacsahuaman (Incas), Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo
(Peru) and so many more!
Why are
there no significant earthworks in Latin America that can compare to those in
the US?
(I am
supposing that the stone structures were erected because there was stone
available)
What about the giant dinosaur
fossils found in Argentina?
Reports
state that fossils of the biggest herbivore dinosaur and the biggest meat
eating dinosaur ever to be found up to now were located in the Argentine
Patagonia.
What were
they doing there?
The story of the camels of South
America (Andean Region).
Only six
species of Camelids survive on Earth today, and 4 of these species are to be
found in the Andes of South America. These are the Llama, the Guanaco, the
Alpaca and the Vicuña.
How did
this happen? The primitive Camelids were
spread over many parts of the world, but now we have a very different picture.
So what are the reasons for this?
A LLAMA IN ITS NATURAL HABITAT
Source: mckaysavage, CC BY 2.0. Flickr
What is the mystery of the Nazca
lines?
The Nazca lines are giant drawings in the
earth, or geoglyphs, located in the
Nazca desert in Peru. They were built by members of an ancient culture that
lived there about at least 600 years BCE. These lines are drawings of hundreds
of figures, each drawn with a single line, of which many are in the shape of
animals.
The most mysterious feature is that the
pictures formed by these lines are only visible from high up in the air. Some
of the figures are over 900feet (270 meters) across.
So how and why were these figures built?
THE NAZCA LINES FOR A HUMMINGBIRD
Source: Martin St.Amant, CC BY SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons
SOME
CONCLUSIONS.
I hope the
previous list has been enough to explain why I really have no time for reality
TV shows! Besides, I find these topics much more interesting. What do you
think?
SPANISH
VERSION
(This blog
is bilingual)
En este post analizo las razones de mi preferencia por leer
y estudiar sobre los más fascinantes temas referentes a la América Hispana, en
lugar de emplear el tiempo mirando los “reality” de la TV.
Para fundamentar mi preferencia, expongo muy brevemente
siete tópicos que resultan realmente absorbentes.
Monte Verde, importante sitio arqueológico en el
sur de Chile.
Los estudios sobre este sitio han hecho tambalear la
tradicional versión sobre el poblamiento inicial de las Américas. En efecto,
todos hemos leÃdo que los primeros habitantes entraron por un puente terrestre
en el estrecho de Bering, y de ahà se expandieron gradualmente por las
Américas, utilizando vÃas terrestres y probablemente a pié.
Sin embargo, las fechas arrojadas para Monte Verde por los
análisis del radio-carbono, indican que el lugar fue habitado alguno miles de
años antes de la llegada de los “primeros habitantes” a Norte América. La única
explicación encontrada a la fecha establece que los primitivos humanos se
expandieron por vÃa marÃtima, situación que hasta ahora habÃa sido poco
admitida.
Los estudios provenientes de Monte Verde han resultado muy
controversiales para todo el amplio mundo académico especialista en estos
temas. Sin embargo, recientemente el Gobierno de Chile, a través de su Consejo
de Monumentos Nacionales, ha propuesto el sitio arqueológico de Monte Verde
ante la UNESCO para ser incluido como Patrimonio de la Humanidad.
Y ¿cómo y cuándo llegaron entonces los primeros habitantes a
las Américas? Una pregunta muy atractiva.
El misterio de los Fueguinos y los Patagones.
Cuando Charles Darwin visitó el Cono Austral de Sud América,
se encontró con unos habitantes nativos bastante extraños. Eran los llamados
Fueguinos y Patagones, grupos ahora en extinción.
Los estudios genéticos de los restos de estos individuos han
causado un fascinante misterio, porque no corresponden al perfil que ya se
habÃa determinado para los llamados “amerindios”, razón por la cual los
cientÃficos ahora han creado el término “paleo-amerindios”. Se ha determinado que estos paleo-habitantes
llegaron ANTES que los supuestos “primeros
habitantes” que entraron a Norte América.
¿De dónde provienen y cuándo entraron? ¡Otro interesante
misterio!
La extraña historia de los huesos de gallina
encontrados en El Arenal, Chile
Durante las excavaciones realizadas en el sitio arqueológico
de El Arenal, en la provincia de Arauco, Chile, se encontraron unos 50 huesos
de gallina. Los estudios de DNA de estos restos confirman que están relacionados
con las gallinas de la Polinesia, en especial de la isla de Tonga.
Los estudios de radio-carbono son compatibles con las fechas
de colonización de las islas más cercanas a la costa chilena y le prestan
verosimilitud a los contactos entre ambas culturas.
Ahora bien, estos estudios ¿arrojarán finalmente más luces
sobre el origen de la gallina Araucana de Chile, la que pone huevos celestes? Nadie lo sabe a ciencia cierta, lo único que queda
claro es que habÃa gallinas en la América Hispana antes de la llegada de los
españoles.
El misterio de la variedad en diseños
arquitectónicos de las Américas.
Este tópico es demasiado extenso para ser tratado aquÃ, pero
mis ideas principales se orientan al contraste entre las culturas de Norte
América, entiéndase EE.UU y Canadá y las culturas de la América Hispana.
En los EE.UU. encontramos construcciones mediante grandes movimientos de
tierra, como por ejemplo en Cahokia de la cultura del Mississippi.
En la América Hispana predominan las grandes estructuras de
piedra, como las de México, Yucatán, Saposoa, Pumapuncu, Tiwanaku, Sacshuaman,
Machu Picchu, y Ollantaytambo, por mencionar unos pocos.
Pero no hay estructuras con grandes movimientos de tierra
como en los EE.UU. ¿Cuál es la razón?
¿Qué pasa con los fósiles de dinosaurios
gigantes encontrados en Argentina?
En la Patagonia Argentina se han localizado los restos fósiles
del dinosaurio herbÃvoro más grande y también del dinosaurio carnÃvoro de mayor
tamaño, de todos los encontrados a la fecha en el mundo.
¿Qué hacÃan ahÃ? ¿Cuál es su historia?
Los camélidos de América del Sur (Región Andina)
Hoy en dÃa sólo sobreviven 6 especies de camélidos sobre la
faz de la Tierra y 4 de ellos viven en los Andes de América del Sur. Son los
siguientes: la Llama, el Guanaco, la Alpaca y la Vicuña
¿Cómo pasó esto? En tiempos antiguos los camélidos habitaban
en múltiples lugares y habÃa más especies. Hoy la historia es muy distinta.
¿Cuál es el misterio de las LÃneas de Nazca?
Estas LÃneas corresponden a dibujos gigantescos trazados
sobre la tierra y que son llamados geoglifos.
Se ubican en el desierto de Nazca en Perú y datan de a lo menos 600 AC.
Representan muchas figuras, y hay muchas representaciones de animales.
El misterio de estas figuras es que sólo pueden apreciarse
al ser vistas desde el aire, ya que son realmente muy grandes.
¿Cómo y para qué fueron construidas?
ALGUNAS CONCLUSIONES.
Espero que la lista presentada ilustre la razón por la cual
en realidad no tengo tiempo para la TV y menos para los “reality”. ¡Estos
misterios son mucho más interesantes! ¿Qué piensas tú?
More about similar
topics in a future post. Más
sobre temas similares en un próximo post.
LANGUAGE
TIPS FOR ENGLISH
Words that
go together! * Right on time - * Draw a conclusion - * Go bankrupt - * Time goes by – * Come first
LANGUAGE TIPS FOR SPANISH.
Expresiones de uso frecuente: * Tomar el pelo - * Tener pocas luces - * Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito
How is your
level of comprehension? ¿Cómo
está su nivel de comprensión?
© 2012 joanveronica
(Joan Robertson)
I will be
very happy to receive your comments! Just click the word “comments” lower down.
Totally interesting list Joan and many of which I truly admit being ignorant on, but thanks for sharing and educating me a bit tonight. Thanks again as always for linking up with us!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Janine! Many thanks for your visit and the comment! Thanks also for giving me the opportunity to share my favorite topics. These are better than any reality on TV, I would think! They tend to grab! So I'm off to bed now! See you tomorrow.
Delete1st, I LOVE llamas! I think they are so elegant, compared to other animals or their stature. Thanks so much for linking up with #FTSF!
ReplyDeleteHi there, many thanks for the visit and the comment! I'm so glad you liked this post, and the llama is cute, isn't it? I'm very happy to participate in FTSF, and hope to continue to do so! I still have to leave some comments, but this computer is terrible! See you!
DeleteWow, this is so interesting, and MUCH better than watching the Kardashians!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, those were my thoughts exactly! TV just makes life shorter, to my mind. Plus I enjoy writing, every topic has its challenges! So I will see you around soon, have a good day!
DeleteThanks for enlightening Joan. I had no clue about such a show until now...thanks :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ruchira, I'm so glad you found these topics interesting! I of course find them fascinating, I have spent many years of my life reading and studying and asking real people a lot of questions when I've had the chance. And just recently the DNA studies have opened up a whole new horizon! Really dramatic! So I'll see you around soon, all the best!
DeleteI agree! I have zero time for reality TV shows. What you are doing is SO MUCH more interesting!
ReplyDeleteHi Kristi, so nice to have you visit my post! I'm really happy you find these topics interesting, that was one of my basic ideas when I created this blog! I'm very grateful for the opportunity to communicate with other bloggers like this, and also for the support I have received! I'll be seeing you soon! Be happy!
DeleteReally an interesting post! I remember watching much of what you describe on the History Channel and Discovery Network before they became home to the useless program they now promote. Sad how society casts aside its history to view the ignorant of the present. Says something about society, doesn't it? Great Job!
ReplyDeleteHi Rich, your comment as always is happily received! Yes, I agree with your points, society does seem to consider the unimportant as a priority. Rather sad! Fortunately there are ways to avoid this, I have managed to do so quite successfully, I think! But then I have never "gone with the crowd", and that has helped! I'll be seeing you around soon, so have a good day!
ReplyDeleteWait! I thought I commented on this post! I remember reading it. LOL. I just wanted to come back and thank you - for all your support, for all your sweet comments on my blog and I CAN'T WAIT to see your upcoming posts! Quiero aprender mas de una persona muy lista y linda. ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Cyndi, well this was the nicest start to this day! Thanks for your comment, you always lift my spirits! Whatever support I have provided is very well deserved, and I will continue to write interesting posts...I hope! See you around!
Delete