Brief Description
The photo depicts a Spanish style house in the country of modern day Guatemala which is where the Mayan empire covered. The house is Spanish style as the roof overhangs the walls and the tiles go up and down in a wavy pattern. The main door is also rounded at the top, a common characteristic of Spanish architecture. This building would've been built around the mid 1800s as the Spanish imported their style of housing and architecture to what is now modern day Guatemala.
What it Tells us About Society
The Spanish architecture in what was the Mayan empire tells us that the Spaniards had full control of the land by the mid 1800s. This couldn't have been achieved with numbers as the population of people with ancestry to the Mayans are around 8 million today. This tells us that the Spanish had powerful enough weapons to be able to control the Mayan population and build on their land. As more Spanish people came to Guatemala, Spanish culture, language and architecture were also brought over ultimately eliminating the ancient Mayan culture.
Reliability and Usefulness
The reliability of this source is very reliable as the building is of Spanish architecture and was built in Guatemala which is where ancient Maya was situated. The usefulness is high as it show how the Spanish influenced the people and the descendants of Maya and their culture.