314 Items Tagged

Colonialism

An overlooked character on the Victoria ship possibly got to his homeland before the Europeans arrived in theirs.

Did an Enslaved Man Beat Magellan to Circling the World?

The unsung hero may have also been instrumental in defeating the colonizers.

Kate McMahon November 20, 2023

St. Augustine, Florida

González–Álvarez House

Built around 1723, this is the oldest surviving home in the U.S.'s oldest colonial city.

Cubagua Island

This island in Venezuela is known for its significance in early Spanish colonization and pearl trade.

Wonder Is Everywhere: Ancient Lampreys, Outdoor Learning, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White November 10, 2023

Jacksonville, Florida

Fort Caroline National Memorial

This replica of a 16th-century French settlement memorializes one of the earliest attempts at a European settlement in North America.

objects of intrigue

A 500-Year-Old Record of the Aztec Empire Comes to Life

The Digital Florentine Codex’s three languages and thousands of hand-painted illustrations provide a window into culture, war, and daily life.

Roxanne Hoorn November 8, 2023

Father Padilla Cross

This rural roadside cross marks the farthest point of Coronado's expedition, and the place where the Catholic faith first came to America.

Velha Goa, India

Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount

This 16th-century hilltop chapel is one of the oldest churches in Old Goa.

Kingston, Jamaica

Shaare Shalom Synagogue

One of just five sand-floor Jewish synagogues in the world.

Tags of Ernesto “Che” Guevara can be found all over the Smara refugee camp.

Welcome to the Little Cuba of the Sahara Desert

The surprising story of how Spanish, baseball, and arroz cubano came to permeate some desert camps in Africa.

Andrea Prada Bianchi and Pesha Magid September 19, 2023

Thetford, England

Statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh

A bronze sculpture of last Sikh maharaja of the Punjab, outside the English estate where he once lived.

Shingled roofs and shutters are typical <em>bod os</em> features throughout Freetown and its surrounding villages.

The Surprising Southern Roots of Sierra Leone’s Krio Homes

Freetown's Krio homes preserve an enduring legacy of resilience—but the question of how to save them looms.

Laura Kiniry August 24, 2023

Detail of a plate illustration of medicinal plants published in the 1930s in a botanical reference book by Éditions Larousse.

botanical gardens

Addressing the Colonial Legacy of the World's Scientific Botanical Collections

Some 70 percent of specimens are located in developed countries with colonial histories. A new project seeks to make them more accessible.

Daniel Park August 14, 2023

A herd of Hereford cattle roam a lush green pasture in Australia, home to several of the world's largest private landholdings.

What Do King Charles III, the Pope, and the Canadian Inuit Have in Common?

Meet the world's largest landowners.

Frank Jacobs, Big Think August 11, 2023

Children play in the monsoon rains that pour down on the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh every year from late July till September.

How Indian Perfumers Capture the Smell of Rain

In Kannauj, perfumers have been making monsoon-infused mitti attar for centuries.

Zinara Rathnayake August 2, 2023

George Town, Malaysia

Church of St. George the Martyr

The oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia.

Panama City, Panama

Iglesia de la Merced

This church was transported brick by brick from the ruins of a 16th-century city into Panama City's current historic district.

A circular central garden is surrounded by Korean-style buildings

Gwangju, South Korea

Lee Jang-woo's House

This traditional home is a rare example of 19th-century Korean architecture.