ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Daily Life: Mesoamerica

A ten‑minute glimpse into how ancient Mesoamerican peoples built homes, grew food, worked, traded, and expressed identity through clothing and adornment.

Chapters

0:07 Homes and Settlements
0:49 Food Production and Markets
1:42 Work and Craft Production
1:57 Family, Clothing, and Adornment

On-screen text

0:07 Homes and Settlements
0:14 Homes and Settlements
0:40 Stone platform homes with thatch roofs Historical record · Stela 31, Tikal (Maya epigraphy, 8th c.)
0:49 Food Production and Markets
1:06 Early maize fields in Tehuacán Historical record · Pollen analysis from Tehuacán Valley (P. D. Piperno 2005)
1:24 Elite cacao drink preparation Historical record · Maya residue analysis, pottery from Copán (M. McGovern 2010)
1:33 Evidence of communal feasting The Institute's interpretation · Analysis of coprolites from Teotihuacan (M. D. Smith 2012)
1:42 Work and Craft Production
1:49 Work and Craft Production
1:57 Family, Clothing, and Adornment
2:13 Aztec ceremonial attire Historical record · Codex Borgia, clothing depictions (Aztec, 16th c.)
2:31 Gendered labor roles The Institute's interpretation · Study of labor depictions in Codex Mendoza (E. Townsend 2003)
2:49 Children learning crafts Tradition / scripture · Popol Vuh (Kʼicheʼ tradition)

Sources

Historical record: Excavations at Teotihuacan, Residential Compounds (Pasztor 1990) · Stela 31, Tikal (Maya epigraphy, 8th c.) · Burial 5, Monte Albán, Zapotec elite tomb (Excavation Report 1978) · Terrace fields at El Mirador, Guatemala (A. L. Stager 1999) · Pollen analysis from Tehuacán Valley (P. D. Piperno 2005) · Maya residue analysis, pottery from Copán (M. McGovern 2010) · Codex Mendoza, Market Scene (Aztec, 1541) · Bone fishhooks from coastal Veracruz site (Museo de Antropología, Veracruz, Object 2021‑07) · Obsidian blade from Monte Albán, Museum of Oaxaca (Artifact No. 1234) · Jade pendant from Palenque, British Museum (Object 1998,1012.1) · Codex Borgia, clothing depictions (Aztec, 16th c.)

Tradition / scripture: Popol Vuh (Kʼicheʼ tradition)

The Institute's interpretation: Analysis of coprolites from Teotihuacan (M. D. Smith 2012) · Ethnoarchaeological study of Maya backstrap looms (M. D. Jones 2014) · Use‑wear analysis of Maya polychrome vessels (J. A. Pérez 2018) · Study of labor depictions in Codex Mendoza (E. Townsend 2003)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 74 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (22) — the next things to make

A reconstruction of a Teotihuacan apartment block with families moving between stacked rooms and a central courtyard, circa 200 CE.
An excavated tomb with ceramic vessels, copper bracelets, and remnants of woven cloth, circa 600 CE.
An excavated tomb with ceramic vessels, copper bracelets, and remnants of woven cloth, circa 600 CE.
Workers building and tending stone terraces covered with maize, circa 500 BCE.
Workers building and tending stone terraces covered with maize, circa 500 BCE.
Crowded market with vendors displaying baskets of maize, beans, chilies, and colorful woven cloth, circa 1520.
Crowded market with vendors displaying baskets of maize, beans, chilies, and colorful woven cloth, circa 1520.
Crowded market with vendors displaying baskets of maize, beans, chilies, and colorful woven cloth, circa 1520.
Fishermen casting nets from a canoe, hauling mullet, near a shoreline, circa 1200 CE.
Fishermen casting nets from a canoe, hauling mullet, near a shoreline, circa 1200 CE.
A large family gathering around a low table sharing roasted maize and meat, circa 200 CE.
A Maya woman seated on a loom, weaving a bright cloth, family members watching, circa 800 CE.
A Maya woman seated on a loom, weaving a bright cloth, family members watching, circa 800 CE.
A Zapotec artisan sharpening an obsidian blade while cutting cotton fibers, circa 500 CE.
A Zapotec artisan sharpening an obsidian blade while cutting cotton fibers, circa 500 CE.
A potter shaping a polychrome vessel on a turntable, family members serving stew, circa 900 CE.
A potter shaping a polychrome vessel on a turntable, family members serving stew, circa 900 CE.
Maya elite wearing jade necklaces, a burial chamber with jade ornaments, circa 700 CE.
Maya elite wearing jade necklaces, a burial chamber with jade ornaments, circa 700 CE.
Family, Clothing, and Adornment: Reveal gender roles, clothing styles, and status symbols in everyday life.
Maya elite wearing jade necklaces, a burial chamber with jade ornaments, circa 700 CE.
Maya elite wearing jade necklaces, a burial chamber with jade ornaments, circa 700 CE.