Word: took
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...complex civilizations that once flourished there. Even the names of these peoples evoke power and mystery: Aztecs, Maya, Zapotecs, Toltecs, Olmecs. But of all the great pre-Columbian metropolises that dot the region, arguably the most magnificent of all belonged to a people who remain nameless. The Aztecs, who took over the area some 25 miles north of modern Mexico City in the 15th century, were convinced it was built by supernatural beings. Their name for the city, which we still use: Teotihuacan, or Place of the Gods...
...like an onion. Explains Cowgill: "They would build a small pyramid, then build a larger one over it and then build a third one after that." As a result, the interior is almost solid dirt and rubble, with no distinct passageways. This makes the going slow and expensive. It took the archaeologists 3 1/2 months to reach the burial chamber, which is about 90 ft. inside the pyramid...
...squad of seven actors were put through some tough basic training. After three days, says Dye, "they were a little shocky, and naturally they began to grumble. But then out of his tent walks Tom Hanks as Captain Miller." Hanks recalls that after he gave an impassioned speech, "we took a vote. I was the only one who voted to stay. So we had another talk." They voted to stick it out. "It was five days of very little sleep at night," says Hanks. "It was not even a fraction of what anybody in the service goes through...
Hanks is unusually generous to the press; he tries to give a fresh, incisive quote to each journalist. He even took it well when he heard he would be bumped off the cover of this week's TIME because of some minor congressional skirmish. Caring and articulate, he rarely trips over his own dexterity. And when he does it makes news...
...also got an eclectic religious education. His mother took the kids to Roman Catholic Mass. A stepmother brought in some Mormon proselytizers. His aunt, with whom he lived for a time, had converted to the Nazarene Church ("What did I know from fanatical?" he asks). In high school his Jewish friends inducted him into the sacred rituals of seder, bagels and lox. At the same time he joined "a great group of people" who were born-again Christians; for four years he led Bible readings. But Tom was a man with his own mission. The mission was acting...