United States Archive
Feature Articles – Wupatki: a Toltec outpost? Did the Mayan and Toltecs of Mexico have a “northern colony” as far north as Arizona? Archaeological evidence shows that the sacred centres of the so-called Hohokam conform to a Mexican template. by Philip Coppens Amongst the great illusions of the modern era, are borders. This is best in evidence in the manner in which the United States …
Feature Articles – The power of Sedona Claims of vortexes, new age stores and a town that was founded in 1902 might make Sedona an unlikely claimant to being one of the oldest settlements in America. But that is precisely what the Yavapai creation legends claim. by Philip Coppens Sedona should be seen as the unofficial New Age capital of the world. North Arizona University …
Feature Articles – Santa Fe: the shrine of faith The city of Santa Fe in New Mexico holds not only some of the oldest, but also some of the most important religious sites and relics in the United States. But the little statue of La Conquistadora has a history that is far more interesting than even the many worshippers of this lady might realize. by …
Feature Articles – Light and shadows Rock art is a widespread phenomenon across the world. But in the deserts of western America, rock art is almost omnipresent, but at the same time little-understood and only recently studied. What do these drawings reveal about our ancestors? by Philip Coppens Rock art is a worldwide phenomenon: our ancestors used rocks to draw on, either with paint (pictographs) …
Along the Colorado River, a number of geoglyphs are carved out of the desert floor that are on par with the mysterious markings in the Peruvian desert near Nazca. However, the American “intaglios” are far less famous. by Philip Coppens The intaglios near Blythe, along the Colorado River along the California-Arizona border are the American equivalent of the Peruvian Nazca lines. Though never promoted as …
Feature Articles – The phallus of Osiris in Hollywood? Is it possible that the “phallus of Osiris”, the Egyptian Lord of the Underworld, is located under a hill in Hollywood? As outlandish as it may seem, truth might be stranger than any film producer could imagine! by Philip Coppens Some stories are weirder than anything Hollywood screenwriters could come up with. But then, facts are …
Feature Articles – The Wanderers of the Fourth World The Ancestral Puebloans have left a legacy of stunning cliff dwelling in the canyons of the Four Corners. Today, the mythology of the Hopi is able to shed refreshing insights into a people who believe that they alone hold our world in balance. by Philip Coppens Walpi Formerly known as the Anasazi, the Ancestral Puebloans, emerged …
Feature Articles – Canyonitis: Seeing evidence of ancient Egypt in the Grand Canyon Is there, within the Grand Canyon, an enigmatic system of tunnels that is evidence of an ancient Egyptian voyage to America? Is it all bogus? Or is the truth most likely somewhere in between? by Philip Coppens On April 5, 1909, a front page story in the Arizona Gazette reported on an …
Europe’s economy between 2000 and 1000 BC stood and fell with copper, used for the creation of bronze. At the same time, large quantities of copper were mined in America, though no-one seems to know who was using it. A question of a world economy, and supply and demand? by Philip Coppens The Bronze Age is a period in Western European history typified by the …
Feature Articles – The Lourdes of America The little settlement of Chimayo, in the hills above Sante Fe, has been a site of pilgrimage and miracles for centuries. But it is also a place where the Native American traditions have been preserved, blended with a veneer of Christianity. by Philip Coppens The further north one heads from Albuquerque, past Santa Fe, the closer you come …
