Chinese and World History » III.A. World Historic Sites

Medieval & Renaissance Italy: Pisa, Florence, Assisi, Vatican, & Capri

leefoxx1949 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:53:36 +0000

These are photos of several important medieval and Renaissance cities in Italy, along with scenic Serento and the neighboring Island of Capri with its famous grottos. I also have a separate album for ancient Rome and Pompeii. I took the photos in summer 2000. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/MedievalRenaissanceItalyPisaFlorenceAssisiVaticanCapri#

Ancient Rome: Forum Romanum & Pompeii

leefoxx1949 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:07:30 +0000

These are photos of the Forum Romanum, the heart of the Roman Republic and the later Empire. The Colosseum is next to the Roman Forum. Pompeii was a Roman seaport buried by a volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD and preserved through the centuries. I took the photos in summer 2000. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientRomeForumRomanumPompeii#

Ancient Mesoamerica: Terminal Post-Classic Maya – Mayapan, Tulum, El Rey

leefoxx1949 — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:25:19 +0000

Mayapan has been called the last “capital” of the Maya, following the downfall of Chichen Itza. Buildings are of much poorer quality. It lasted less than a century and collapsed before the arrival of the Spanish. Tulum is a small, walled site, on the coast. Columbus probably saw lights from there when he passed by in 1502. The site was abandoned shortly afterward. El Rey is a late Maya village near Cancun. I took the photos in winter, 2001, except the Mayapan photos which I took in 2002. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaTerminalPostClassicMayaMayapanTulumElRey#

Ancient Mesoamerica: Post-Classic Maya – Kabah, Labna, Sayil, Xlapak, Edzna, Oxkintok

leefoxx1949 — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:45:43 +0000

Kabah, Labna, Sayil, & Xlapak lie in the Puuc Hills of Yucatan, near Uxmal. They bear a distinct and highly ornate architecture called Puuc Style. These Post-Classic sites are small and close to each other. Edzna & Oxkintok are probably transitional from Classic to Post-Classic, and lie a little farther south. None of these sites has a recorded history. I took the photos in winter, 2002. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaPostClassicMayaKabahLabnaSayilXlapakEdznaOxkintok#

Ancient Mesoamerica: Post-Classic Maya – Chichen Itza & Uxmal

leefoxx1949 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:23:04 +0000

Chichen Itza & Uxmal, in the northern Yucatan, were the two greatest Maya sites of the Post-Classic era. The temple of Kukulcan (probably Mayan for Quetzalcoatl) at Chichen Itza is perhaps the most famous pyramid in America. Historical records are generally lacking, but architecture is among the finest in ancient Mesoamerica. I took the Chichen photos in winter 2001 and the Uxmal photos one year later. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaPostClassicMayaChichenItzaUxmal#

Ancient Mesoamerica: Classic Maya – Tikal & Yaxha

leefoxx1949 — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:57:58 +0000

Tikal flourished in the Peten region of Guatemala from before 300 AD until nearly 900 AD when it was abandoned. It was possibly the greatest of all the Maya cities of the Classic Age, with a rich history recorded on stone monuments. Yaxha lies about 30 km from Tikal, but remains largely unexcavated, and has little known history. I took these photos in spring 2002. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaClassicMayaTikalYaxha#

Ancient Mesoamerica: Tenochtitlan & Aztec Great Temple

leefoxx1949 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:52:13 +0000

Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Colhua Mexica (Aztecs) and was destroyed by Hernan Cortez & his Tlaxcalan allies in 1521. The Templo Major (Great Temple) was the site of thousands of human sacrifices to the war god Huitzilopochtli and rain god Tlaloc. Buried for centuries, it was rediscovered in the 1980s. Other photos of Aztec artifacts are in my INAH Museum album. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaTenochtitlanAztecGreatTemple#

Ancient Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan & El Tajin

leefoxx1949 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:20:51 +0000

Teotihuacan (c. 200 BC – c. 600 AD) was once one of the largest cities in the world. It was given its name “City of the Gods” by the later Colhua Mexica (Aztecs), whose emperors made frequent pilgrimages. El Tajin was contemporary and perhaps related. It is located near Veracruz. Neither culture left a written history. I took the photos in spring, 2001. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AncientMesoamericaTeotihuacanAndElTajin#

Lapu-Lapu Monument, Battle of Mactan

leefoxx1949 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:40:53 +0000

This is the site on Mactan Island near Cebu where Lapu-Lapu, the chief of the island, repulsed the Spanish and killed Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Magellan’s crew continued his circumnavigation of the globe, while the battle effectively delayed the colonization of the Philippines for more than four decades. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/LapuLapuMonumentBattleOfMactan#

Corregidor, Philippines

leefoxx1949 — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:15:42 +0000

The Spanish lit bonfires on this island to guide their galleons. When the Americans took over the Philippines in 1898 they turned this rock into a powerful fortress, which the Japanese severely damaged in 1941-42. The fall of Corregidor marked the end of American military presence until their return in 1944-45. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/Corregidor#