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In Game:

Bayonets were weapon attachments that could be fit onto the muzzle of muskets and rifles, often as sharp spikes or knives.

During the Louisiana Rebellion and American Revolutionary War, bayonets were utilized by soldiers from the French, Spanish, British and Continental armies, though generally as last-resort ancillary weapons.

The Assassins Aveline de Grandpré and Ratonhnhaké:ton, as well as the Templar Haytham Kenway and pirate Edward Kenway were able to disarm soldiers for their muskets, while the latter three could also grab them from nearby racks, in order to slash or impale nearby enemies. While a bayonet was embedded in a soldier's torso, Ratonhnhaké:ton, Haytham, and Edward could also aim and fire the musket itself, efficiently eliminating two opponents in quick succession.

In Real Life:

Bayonet, short, sharp-edged, sometimes pointed weapon, designed for attachment to the muzzle of a firearm. The inventor is unknown, but the first bayonets were made in Bayonne, France, in the early 17th century and became popular among European armies. The Maréchal de Puységur described the earliest bayonets as having a straight, double-edged blade a foot long with a tapering wooden handle, of equal length, that could be inserted into the muzzle of a musket. The new weapon, considerably shortened, spread through Europe and supplanted the pike. Historically, bayonet charges were meant to instill an aggressive nature in the weapon’s user and a psychological terror in the enemy

The first use of bayonets was simply a knife stuck on the end of a musket barrel used by French hunters catching wild boar.  This combination was then used in warfare, and became known as a plug bayonet. Though an effective weapon, a downside of the plug bayonet was that the musketeer could not shoot after affixing it. 

The plug bayonet was succeeded by the socket bayonet, which fit over the muzzle of the barrel.  A zig-zag motion around the bayonet lug allowed the musketeer to easily affix or remove the bayonet while still securing it in place.  The major advantage to the socket bayonet was that the musket could still be fired while the bayonet was attached. 

To overcome the fact that not all soldiers used the same weapon, or weapons with the same barrel sizes, the socket bayonet was modified to have a split down the side.  An intentional slit running the entire length of the socket allowed for an adjustable fit of the socket to the size of the barrel.  Unlike the plug bayonet, the socket and split-socket bayonets had three edges, giving them the name “triangular bayonets”.  Given forging processes at the time, a triangular blade was easier to create, and offered increased stability from a two sided or knife blade bayonet without much additional weight. During the War of 1812, bayonets for the British Brown Bess, French Charleville, and United States Springfield muskets were between 12 and 15 inches in length, and continued to have the triangular shape.

Socket bayonets were used through the middle of the 20th century; however the triangular shape became obsolete after the late 1800’s.  Though many claim that the triangular bayonet was outlawed in the Geneva Convention in 1949, this is actually not the case.  The Geneva Convention set many of the rules of war, and in response to bayonets it prohibits “bayonets with a serrated edge” (International Committee of the Red Cross).  Triangle bayonets are not explicitly mentioned in the Convention. Since the wound inflicted by triangular bayonets is difficult to repair, and causes more initial bleeding than that of a two sided bayonet, one could classify triangular bayonets under a clause which prohibits weapons causing undue suffering after the conflict has ended.  Indeed, the wounds caused by a triangular bayonet were recorded to last for years after a battle, or to never heal at all.  However this would be a stretch.  Prior to the mid-1900’s, this also meant that the wound was especially prone to becoming infected, the main cause of deaths in the War of 1812.

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In 19th Century warfare, including the War of 1812, bayonets were primarily used to drive the enemy from the field.  The victor of a battle was the one controlling the land when all was said and done. Though the wounds from bayonet stabbings were brutal, less than 3% of casualties during the war were actually from bayonets.  This is because the opposing side often dispersed as they were being charged.

The development of repeating firearms greatly reduced the combat value of the bayonet, particularly beginning to wane in popularity during the rise of rapid-fire weapons after World War I. Nevertheless, it was retained through World Wars I and II, though shortened into an all-purpose knife, equipped with a hand grip and carried in a scabbard when not affixed to a rifle.

In Game:

Tomahawks are a type of one-handed axe, which were most effective when wielded in close combat. They were commonly used by Native Americans, as well as European colonists.

The tomahawk could be used for stealth kills, melee combat, or to perform menial tasks; such as cutting a rope or traversing ziplines, in a similar manner to the Hookblade.

The Assassin Tomahawk was a uniquely designed weapon, with an axe-head closely resembling the Assassin insignia, that originally belonged to John de la Tour, the first Assassin who arrived in the American Colonies. The Louisianan Assassin Aveline de Grandpré later obtained an Assassin Tomahawk, which she used to eliminate the Templar George Davidson, a member of Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment. 

Kesegowaase, a Wolastoqiyik member of the Colonial Brotherhood, used a tomahawk in combat during the Seven Years' War. During the American Revolution, the Kanien'kehá:ka Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton used various tomahawks in combat, often dual-wielding the weapon alongside his Hidden Blade.

In Real Life:

The tomahawk is an axe-like weapon with a wooden handle which, when first developed by Native Americans, had a head made of stone. Tomahawks originated from the Algonquian Indians. The term tomahawk was derived from the Algonquian words “tamahak” or “tamahakan." The Native American Indians regularly used tomahawks made from stone heads which were attached to wooden handles secured by strips of rawhide. They used tomahawks for general uses such as hunting, chopping, cutting, or mainly as a weapon. 

Many Native American tomahawks were also used to confirm friendships and even establish treaties.  In this case, native American tomahawks were a little more fancy than the ones in everyday use.  Perhaps these native American tomahawks were made from silver or pewter and engraved ornately and were owned by those chiefs who were considered to be prominent.

It was the Europeans who introduced the metal blade to these native Indians about 400 years ago. The local tribes became very good at using it in battle. By then, the tomahawk’s poll, which is the side opposite the blade, consisted of a hammer, spike or a pipe. These became known as pipe tomahawks, made of a bowl on the poll and a hollowed out shaft, were created by European and American artisans for trade and diplomatic gifts for these Indian tribes. The local tribes considered the pipe tomahawks, which consisted of a bowl on the poll and a hollowed out shaft, as very useful general purpose tools.

Perhaps the most common embellishments on native American tomahawks were medicine bundles, thought to bring about supernatural victories during battles.  Another common decorum on native American tomahawks was eagle feathers, earned for acts of bravery.

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Captain John Smith was the first European to mention the tomahawk in 1612 using the term 'tomahack' and described the weapons as "a long stone sharpened at both ends". Tomahawks were later described as hatchets or pickaxe style weapons and tools. The versatility of the tomahawk was so appreciated by the European settlers and traders that this weapon was adopted as an essential item and widely used in the New World.

During the Revolutionary War in the late 18th century, the Continental Congress required the military men to carry either a tomahawk or cutting sword. Guns were unreliable and took a long time to reload so the tomahawks served as a weapon for hand to hand or melee combat.

A few American soldiers used the tomahawks during the World War II and the Korean War. But as technology progressed, the use of guns also advanced, causing tomahawks to lose its prominence. Tomahawks resurfaced again between 1966-1970 when Peter La Gana, a World War II veteran of Mohawk – descent, crafted and sold thousands of tactical tomahawks to the American troops serving in Vietnam. These tactical tomahawks were sturdier and featured a penetrating spike for the poll. Today, tomahawks are manufactured on a large scale in Europe or created by individual makers and companies in America. There are also some Indian blacksmiths who are expert in creating the tool. Tomahawks come in different shapes, designs and purpose. Its useful in camping and bush craft scenarios and is often used as an alternative to hatchets, since its lighter and slimmer.  Modern tomahawks are now made of drop forged, differentially treated, alloy steel. This allows the blade and the spike to be harder and shock resistant. Tomahawk throwing is also fast becoming a popular and enjoyable sport with hundreds of enthusiasts engaging in tomahawk throwing competitions.

In Game:

Wanted posters were printed signs found in cities that featured the face of an Assassin, demanding for their immediate capture.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze first encountered them after the execution of his family. The posters prominently displayed the Pazzi family emblem and promised awards of 50,000 florins to anyone who killed or captured the Assassin once he had committed socially unacceptable behavior.

In the mid 18th century, the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré found need to remove wanted posters bearing the image of her slave persona, to decrease any negative focus of her in the public eye.

Around the same time, the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton also removed wanted posters to reduce his notoriety, or could bribe printers to stop producing them altogether. Contrary to the posters issued for Ezio, in Colonial America, the depicted image would update as Ratonhnhaké:ton grew older and became a full Assassin.

In Real Life:

Wanted posters (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available or of a facial composite image produced by police. They are most commonly associated with the wild west, especially in the media.

The poster will usually include a description of the wanted person(s) and the crime(s) for which they are sought. There is typically a set monetary reward offered to whoever catches the wanted criminal that is advertised on the poster. Wanted posters are commonly produced by a police department or other public government bureaus intended for public display such as on a physical bulletin board or in the lobby of a post office. Today many wanted posters are displayed on the Internet. Wanted posters also might include rewards for providing aid in the capture of the wanted person, usually in the form of money.

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Wanted posters for particularly notorious fugitives frequently offer a bounty for the capture of the person, or for a person who can provide information leading to such capture. Bounties provided an incentive for citizens to aid law enforcement, either by providing information, or by catching the criminal themselves. More modern wanted posters may also include images of the fugitive's fingerprints. People who, as a profession, chase wanted individuals with the intent to collect their bounties are referred to as bounty hunters.

Historically, some wanted posters offering a reward contained the phrase "dead or alive". Thus one would get a reward for either bringing the person or their body to the authorities. This could indicate that the person was an outlaw, and that it was permissible to kill them. Alternatively it might mean that it was permissible to kill them if they resisted arrest.

In Game:

Voodoo dolls were items found in New Orleans and the Louisiana Bayou.

It became available to collect in the sequence 4 and can be found only if Aveline is in Slave Persona.

During her career as an Assassin, Aveline de Grandpré pickpocketed houngans throughout Louisiana to acquire the voodoo dolls.

If Aveline collected all of the voodoo dolls, her Chichen Itza outfit for her slave persona would be available to buy for free at any tailor shop.

In Real Life:

The term Voodoo doll is commonly employed to describe an effigy into which pins are inserted. Although it comes in various different forms, such practices are found in the magical traditions of many cultures across the world. Although the use of the term "Voodoo" implies that the practice has links to either the religion of Haitian Vodou or Louisiana Voodoo, in reality it does not have a prominent place in either.

The form of the voodoo doll as it is most commonly understood is based on a magical practice that historically derived from Europe rather than Africa or the Americas. Textual records attest to the fact that certain cunning folk in Britain made dolls of a witch out of rags and other materials and then pierced them with pins with the intention of inflicting physical harm or illness on the witch and breaking their bewitchment.

The link between this magical practice and Voodoo was established through the presentation of the latter in Western popular culture during the first half of the 20th century. In this, the myth of this magical practice being closely linked to Voodoo and Vodou was promoted as part of the wider negative depictions of blacks and Afro-Caribbean religious practices in the United States.

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In modern times, voodoo dolls make apperances in many different pop culture products. In John Houston Craige's Black Baghdad: The Arabian Nights Adventures of a Marine Captain in Haiti, he described a Haitian prisoner sticking pins into an effigy to induce illness. Its use also appeared in film representations of Haitian Vodou such as Victor Halperin's 1932 White Zombie and Jacques Tourneurs 1943 I Walked with a Zombie. In the 1984 film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a voodoo doll is used, resembling Indiana Jones. A voodoo doll had also been included in the 2009 animated Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog.

By the early 21st century, the image of the voodoo doll had become particularly pervasive. It had become a novelty item available for purchase, with examples being provided in vending machines in British shopping centers, and an article on "How to Make a Voodoo Doll" being included on WikiHow.

In Game:

Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent was a French merchant and military officer that lived in New Orleans during the 18th century. A wily businessman, he played a major role in the development of Louisiana and would eventually become one of its most affluent citizens.

In early 1765, Maxent’s business was faced with several shipments that were being stolen. In response, Philippe de Grandpré, one of Maxent’s business partners, soon sent an envoy in the form of Gérald Blanc to investigate the issue. The two discussed the problem, with Maxent accusing the captain of the ship from which the goods had disappeared, though the young accountant was reluctant to confront the man.

However, this conversation had been overheard by Aveline de Grandpré, Philippe’s rebellious daughter and an Assassin. Utilizing her charisma, she managed to charm the ship captain, allowing her to steal documents detailing the goods’ location while he was distracted. Upon receiving the news that the shipments had been recovered, Maxent thanked Aveline and promised her father a considerable discount.

When West Louisiana was handed over to the Spanish, Gilbert-Antoine was the first Frenchman to voice his support for the new governor, Antonio de Ulloa. This resulted in his imprisonment within his own plantation during the Louisiana Rebellion in 1768, while the governor was being ousted. Following the reclaiming of the colony by the Spanish in 1769, Gilbert-Antoine’s daughter, Marie Elizabeth, married the next Spanish governor, Luis de Unzaga.

In 1776, Maxent and one of his daughters, Marie Felicité, attended the Capitán’s ball, a prominent soirée. There, he and one of his associates discussed the economic benefits they were reaping from the American Revolution, particularly the smuggling of goods to the Patriots. They were then joined by Aveline, whom Maxent engaged in polite conversation, inquiring after her father’s health and praising her interest in business.

For his actions during the American Revolutionary War, Maxent was named Commandant of the Militia of Louisiana, Lt. Governor of the Providence of Louisiana and West Florida, and Captain-General of the new Bureau of Indian Affairs of Louisiana and West Florida.

In Real Life:

Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent was born in France in 1727 to Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent and Elizabeth de St. Maxent.

In 1747 he moved to New Orleans, the French colonial capital of Lower Louisiana. He enlisted in the French Army and in 1749 married the wealthy Elizabeth La Roche. He used the dowry to open a business on Conti Street to supply fur traders. These traders ranged through the colony along the rivers from the Red to the Missouri, trading pelts from the native tribes in the fall and winter. In the spring they would load their furs on flatboats and float down the Mississippi to New Orleans, where they sold their furs and bought the supplies and trade goods they needed for the next season. St. Maxent prospered in this business.

In 1753 he was promoted to colonel and commandant of the Louisiana Regiment, by Governor Louis de Billouart Kerlerec. He was to distinguish himself in battles defending Louisiana against incursions by the British and Chickasaws in the French and Indian War.

After the war, the governor rewarded St. Maxent for his military service and his political support by granting him the exclusive right to trade with the native tribes along the Missouri River, certainly one of the choicest plums of the fur trade.

To exploit this new opportunity St. Maxent formed a new trading company, the first St. Maxent Laclede Co.

Pierre Laclede Linguest had sailed from Bordeaux in 1753 for Louisiana and when the Seven Years War broke out had offered his services to the governor. During the war he became an officer on St. Maxent¹s staff, and he was the man St. Maxent chose to set up his trade on the Missouri River. LaClede was made a junior partner in the business, and sent upriver to establish a post on the Missouri where furs could be brought from the traders there and stored for later shipment to New Orleans. Laclede built his post near the confluence of the Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and the post eventually developed into the City of St. Louis.

This venture proved to be immensely profitable and St. Maxent’s fortune grew. In fact, it grew enough that he was able to gain a grant of a 50-square mile plot of land at a site called Chef Menteur, east of New Orleans.

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At about this juncture it became known that the King of France had deeded Louisiana to his cousin, the King of Spain, to prevent the English from taking it at the end of the Seven Years War.

There followed the termination of French rule, the rebellion against the first Spanish governor, and the arrival of Don Alejandro O'Reilly with his Spanish troops.

St. Maxent was one of the first Frenchmen to pledge his allegiance to the new Spanish governor, Antonio de Ulloa, and Ulloa was named godfather of one of Maxent’s daughters. St. Maxent entered into contracts to supply Spanish frigates. When the Creole and German settlers around New Orleans resisted Spanish rule in the Rebellion of 1768, they imprisoned St. Maxent at his plantation from October 25 to 29, 1768, releasing him after Ulloa was forced out of the city to return to Spain.

In January 1769, Maxent thwarted the plotters’ efforts to enlist Native Americans in the planned resistance to any Spanish attempt to reclaim New Orleans.

In May 1769, the partnership with Laclede was dissolved, with Laclede buying the St. Louis facilities for 80,000 livres and the first payment due in June 1771.

In August 1769, Alejandro O'Reilly restored Spanish authority in New Orleans, putting down the rebellion and executing five ringleaders while imprisoning five others. O'Relly abolished the Superior Council which had governed Louisiana during the French period, replacing it with the Spanish cabildo and replacing the French laws with the Spanish code.

O'Reilly gave Saint-Maxent a new patent for the fur business, for the firm St. Maxent and Ranson. This firm, which rivaled Laclède’s, was to contribute to Laclède’s declining fortunes in St. Louis.

Saint-Maxent’s second daughter, Marie-Elizabeth de St. Maxent, married the next Spanish governor Luis de Unzaga, in 1770. His eldest daughter Marie-Félicité de St. Maxent d'Estrehan, a wealthy widow, married Unzaga’s successor, Bernardo de Gálvez. Galvez was to succeed his father later as Viceroy of New Spain.

During this period it is believed that Maxent was the richest man in the entire territory. He built a series of lavish homes.

During the American Revolutionary War, Spain sided with the French and United States against the British and St. Maxent was placed in charge of the militia (but not Spanish regulars), which saw action in the Gulf Coast campaign, including the Capture of Fort Bute, the Battle of Baton Rouge (1779) (which resulted in the capture of both Fort New Richmond and Fort Panmure (future Natchez, Mississippi), the Battle of Fort Charlotte (1780), and ultimately the Siege of Pensacola (1781).

For his actions, he was named Commandant of the Militia of Louisiana, Lt. Governor of the Provinces of Louisiana and West Florida, Captain-General of the new Bureau of Indian Affairs of Louisiana and West Florida.

It was eventually recommended that he be promoted to Brigadier General, but he died in 1794.

Sources:

http://www.calcasieupreservation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=315:gilbert-antoine-de-st-maxent&catid=133&Itemid=188

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Antoine_de_St._Maxent

https://www.geni.com/people/Gilbert-de-St-Maxent/6000000010551534053

In Game:

Chichen Itza, located on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, is a former Mayan city, having been one of the largest of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization.  Boasting a mix of architectural styles from across the empire, the site was known to include contributions from members of the First Civilization believed to have fought on the front lines against the human rebellion. As a result, the region was rich with ancient relics, leading the Templars to set up an excavation site there during the 18th century.

In the 1750s, the Templars discovered proof of First Civilization artifacts being located in the caves beneath Chichen Itza. They subsequently organized a large-scale slave trafficking operation, bringing in workers from various locations, such as Cuba and Louisiana, to live at their community and take part in the excavation of ancient ruins. The Templars kept the slaves under their thumb through false promises and threats of harsh punishments; despite this, most workers still seemed largely content with their living conditions.

In 1769, the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, having noticed the disappearances of slaves and vagrants in her native city of New Orleans, traveled to Chichen Itza to discover the extent of the Templars' plans. Whilst there, she uncovered evidence that her mother, Jeanne, had been living in the settlement and discovered a map leading to an artifact hidden deep within a cenote.

Unearthing a fragment of the Prophecy Disk inside a chamber constructed by the First Civilization, Aveline was then confronted by Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, the dig site's leader. Despite being outnumbered, she defeated de Ferrer's guards and killed him, thus liberating the community in Chichen Itza from Templar influence.

However, another Templar by the name of Diego Vázquez later intended to reclaim the work site, causing Aveline to return to Chichen Itza in 1772. There, she made peace with her mother, who had previously fled in fear of her daughter, and decided to retrieve the second half of the Prophecy Disk. Aveline used a canoe to further explore the cenote and came across another room built by the First Civilization where she recovered the final piece of the artifact. Following this, she attempted to convince her mother to return to New Orleans, though Jeanne refused, settling to look after Chichen Itza's newly formed community instead.

Due to the Templars' excavation efforts, many relics of minor importance, such as Shards and Rings, were uncovered; as a collection, they provided Abstergo Industries with an accurate representation of life preceding the Toba catastrophe. Although Chichen Itza is under federal protection, being a popular tourist attraction, the company intends to do further research once they secure an agreement with the Mexican government.

In Real Life:

Chichen Itza ("at the mouth of the well of the Itza people") was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. The archaeological site is located in Tinúm Municipality, Yucatán State, Mexico.

The layout of Chichen Itza site core developed during its earlier phase of occupation, between 750 and 900 AD. Its final layout was developed after 900 AD, and the 10th century saw the rise of the city as a regional capital controlling the area from central Yucatán to the north coast, with its power extending down the east and west coasts of the peninsula. The earliest hieroglyphic date discovered at Chichen Itza is equivalent to 832 AD, while the last known date was recorded in the Osario temple in 998.

The Late Classic city was centered upon the area to the southwest of the Xtoloc cenote, with the main architecture represented by the substructures now underlying the Las Monjas and Observatorio and the basal platform upon which they were built.

Chichen Itza rose to regional prominence towards the end of the Early Classic period (roughly 600 AD). It was, however, towards the end of the Late Classic and into the early part of the Terminal Classic that the site became a major regional capital, centralizing and dominating political, sociocultural, economic, and ideological life in the northern Maya lowlands. The ascension of Chichen Itza roughly correlates with the decline and fragmentation of the major centers of the southern Maya lowlands.

As Chichen Itza rose to prominence, the cities of Yaxuna (to the south) and Coba (to the east) were suffering decline. These two cities had been mutual allies, with Yaxuna dependent upon Coba. At some point in the 10th century Coba lost a significant portion of its territory, isolating Yaxuna, and Chichen Itza may have directly contributed to the collapse of both cities.

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According to some colonial Mayan sources (e.g., the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel), Hunac Ceel, ruler of Mayapan, conquered Chichen Itza in the 13th century. Hunac Ceel supposedly prophesied his own rise to power. According to custom at the time, individuals thrown into the Cenote Sagrado were believed to have the power of prophecy if they survived. During one such ceremony, the chronicles state, there were no survivors, so Hunac Ceel leaped into the Cenote Sagrado, and when removed, prophesied his own ascension.

While there is some archaeological evidence that indicates Chichen Itza was at one time looted and sacked, there appears to be greater evidence that it could not have been by Mayapan, at least not when Chichen Itza was an active urban center. Archaeological data now indicates that Chichen Itza declined as a regional center by 1250, before the rise of Mayapan. Ongoing research at the site of Mayapan may help resolve this chronological conundrum.

After Chichen Itza elite activities ceased, the city may not have been abandoned. When the Spanish arrived, they found a thriving local population, although it is not clear from Spanish sources if Maya were living in Chichen Itza or nearby. The relatively high population density in the region was a factor in the conquistadors' decision to locate a capital there. According to post-Conquest sources, both Spanish and Maya, the Cenote Sagrado remained a place of pilgrimage.

In 1526 Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo (a veteran of the Grijalva and Cortés expeditions) successfully petitioned the King of Spain for a charter to conquer Yucatán. His first campaign in 1527, which covered much of the Yucatán Peninsula, decimated his forces but ended with the establishment of a small fort at Xaman Ha', south of what is today Cancún. Montejo returned to Yucatán in 1531 with reinforcements and established his main base at Campeche on the west coast. He sent his son, Francisco Montejo The Younger, in late 1532 to conquer the interior of the Yucatán Peninsula from the north. The objective from the beginning was to go to Chichen Itza and establish a capital.

Montejo the Younger eventually arrived at Chichen Itza, which he renamed Ciudad Real. At first he encountered no resistance, but the Maya became more hostile over time, and eventually they laid siege to the Spanish, cutting off their supply line to the coast, and forcing them to barricade themselves among the ruins of the ancient city. Months passed, but no reinforcements arrived. Montejo the Younger attempted an all out assault against the Maya and lost 150 of his remaining troops. He was forced to abandon Chichen Itza in 1534 under cover of darkness. By 1535, all Spanish had been driven from the Yucatán Peninsula.

Montejo eventually returned to Yucatán and, by recruiting Maya from Campeche and Champoton, built a large Indio-Spanish army and conquered the peninsula. The Spanish crown later issued a land grant that included Chichen Itza and by 1588 it was a working cattle ranch.

Chichen Itza entered the popular imagination in 1843 with the book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan by John Lloyd Stephens (with illustrations by Frederick Catherwood). The book recounted Stephens' visit to Yucatán and his tour of Maya cities, including Chichen Itza. The book prompted other explorations of the city, and since then has been studied vigorously by archeologists.

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In modern times, Chichen Itza remains a popular tourist destination for people visiting the Yucatán.

In Game:

The Louisiana Bayou is a swamp-like region located in Louisiana, near the city of New Orleans.

Sometime in the 1700s, Roussillon and Élise Lafleur came to run smuggling operations in the bayou. Their activities became threatened in 1766, when a dissident Assassin by the name of Baptiste became active in the region and gained a large group of followers that spread throughout the swamp, setting up various camps. Intending to take over the smugglers' operations and become a Templar, Baptiste's plans were cut short when he was assassinated by Aveline de Grandpré.

Despite Aveline’s efforts, however, Templar activity continued in the area;  Fort Saint-Jean, a fortress occupied by the Spanish, was used to house kidnapped slaves that were to be sent to a Templar work site in Mexico. Upon discovering this practice in 1768, Aveline swiftly shut it down by tracking down the mastermind behind the abductions. In doing so, she temporarily rid the bayou of Templar influence.

By 1771, Spanish soldiers, under the command of the Templar Diego Vázquez, entered the bayou and attempted to seize control of its smuggling operations once again. On the instruction of her Mentor Agaté, Aveline followed a squadron of soldiers through the swamp, using her blowpipe to silently poison a guard each time the group passed voodoo artifacts set up by Agaté. The surviving soldiers were thus tricked into believing they had been placed under a voodoo curse and fled the bayou. Following the disruption of another of Vazquez's plans, Aveline left for Mexico, allowing for Vázquez's troops to recover.

As a result, when the smugglers were tasked with delivering supplies to the Patriots by the Spanish Governor of Louisiana in 1776, they found themselves obstructed by Vázquez's men. With the help of Aveline, they managed to reach their destination, where they met with the Patriots' representative, Hopton, and delivered the goods. Aveline's assassination of Vázquez then freed the bayou of his influence once more.

In 1777, a confrontation between Aveline and Agaté took place at the latter's hideout in the bayou. Agaté, unable to accept his failure to protect his student from the "Company Man" and paranoid that Aveline had sided with the Templars, attacked her. Aveline managed to overpower and confront her Mentor at the top of his hut, but decided to spare his life; this act lead Agaté to leap to his death, despite his student's attempt to save him.

In Real Life:

A bayou is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area, and can be either an extremely slow-moving stream or river, or a marshy lake or wetland.

A few of the most famous bayous in the United States include the Mississippi River Delta, the Buffalo Bayou (in Texas), and the Louisiana Bayou. Bayou Country is most closely associated with Cajun and Creole cultural groups native to the Gulf Coast region generally stretching from Houston, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama, and picking back up in South Florida around the Everglades with its center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The name “bayou” is native to Louisiana, too. The term is believed to have originated from "bayuk," a word meaning "small stream" in a local Native American tongue. The word was first used in Louisiana and has come to mean the braided streams that are fed by the Mississippi River in the low-lying areas of Southern Louisiana. These marshes or wetland areas move very slowly and make ideal homes for creatures like alligators, crawfish, and catfish; all of which are popular foods in the area.

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The most closely associated culture to the bayou is the Cajun culture. Cajuns are largely self-contained communities in the bayou areas of southern Louisiana formed by descendants of French Canadians, speaking an archaic form of French. They were originally known as "Acadians," but the local dialect eventually led to the word becoming "Cajun."  In addition to the French Canadians that were the foundation of much of the bayou culture, there are also significant influences from Spanish, German, African and Irish settlers as well as Native Americans. In modern Cajun culture on the bayou, the people are a blend of all these cultures. In the Southern Louisiana bayous today, you can often find people who consider themselves "Cajuns" who primarily speak French, but have last names like Smith, McGee or Manuel as well as the French surnames common in the region.

One of the most famous forts in the area was Fort St. Jean Baptiste, which was built in 1716 by Sieur Charles Claude Dutisné. The fort was devised as a trading and military outpost to counter any Spanish incursions into French territory. Soon it became a center of economic significance, particularly with neighboring Caddo tribes. After 1764, Fort St. Jean was abandoned, with the transfer of Louisiana (New France) to Spain. It was rebuilt, but its actual location is unknown. Today Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site is a point of interest within the Cane River National Heritage Area. It is also host to living history reenactments of what Life in the fort was like in the 1750s.

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The bayous are disappearing. Since the 1930s, the coast of Louisiana has lost 1,900 square miles of marshes and coastal wetlands. This is an area the size of Delaware that has been swallowed up by the Gulf of Mexico. Despite recent efforts to reduce the erosion of the bayou, Louisiana still loses about an acre of land every 33 minutes. That results in a loss of 25 square miles per year.