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19 results

Measuring Difference

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Today, measurement is everywhere. We understand everything around us in inches, degrees, gallons, decibels, and more. Scientific instruments help us record precise measurements of what surrounds us—from land and sea to flora and fauna, human activity and...

(Beyond) the Vara: Mexican Land Measures over Time

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How can changing representations and measures of land over time help to illustrate the long conceptual transformations of what is today Mexico? The Spanish conquistadors who in the 16th century arrived in Mesoamerica encountered there a vast array of...

Other Standards: The Meter and More

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How about in Europe? Just as in the Americas, for much of the early modern period, complete standardization, at least as we think of it today, was elusive. Measuring Difference includes several examples of wooden and metal rules that reflect an...

Plants and Pigments

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This Codex Badiano, an herbal manuscript from 1552, includes illustrations and details of Nahua medicinal plants. Written in both Nahuatl and Latin, it shows how Indigenous knowledge was translated into European ways of organizing and understanding the...

Silver stories: Reflections of value in a precious metal

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Many of us know silver today as a shiny and expensive metal. Yet this picture conceals a deeper history. The story of one particular place, Potosí in today’s Bolivia, guides us toward a tale of lost labor, exploited land, and redefined value. Silver ore...

Extracting Nature: Land, Labor, and Loss

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The environment in the “New World” was diverse and unique, as those who already lived there knew well. This visual tribute list for Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, shows a variety of regional plants and animals. It illustrates how tribute—like feathers...