Maya An Album of Maya Architecture  •  Tatiana Proskouriakoff ARCHAEOLOGY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 164 PAGES A classic work, first published in 1946. Combining her talents as a scholar, artist and architect, Proskouriakoff presents breathtaking artistic reconstructions of what the Maya sites may have looked like more than 1,000 years ago. The text summarizes the archeological findings at each site. This gorgeous book evokes daily life at the sites. (MYA06, $19.95)   The Ancient Maya  •  Loa Traxler  •  Robert Sharer ARCHAEOLOGY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 892 PAGES In its sixth edition, this scholarly tome is a standard reference on everything Maya, an up-to-date descendent of the original by the pioneering archaeologist Sylvanus Morley. It includes individual site descriptions, maps -- and much else of interest to the general reader. We recommend it for the serious student. (MYA07, $37.95)   Ancient Maya, Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of the Maya's Past  •  Nathaniel Harris ARCHAEOLOGY •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • FAMILY As Europe endured its Dark Ages, the Maya mapped the heavens and mastered mathematics. They constructed vast cities in jungle landscapes, leaving legacies in stone at places like Palenque and Uxmal. In overgrown sites, archaeologists now piece together this civilization with the aid of satellite technology. Modern-day experts provide windows into the Mayan world by interpreting ancient messages, inscribed for future generations. (MYA64, $17.95)   Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya, A Guide  •  Victoria Schlesinger FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A comprehensive guide to the natural and cultural history of 100 plants and animals of the Maya world, primarily those from the lowland tropical forest of Central America but also including savanna, mangrove and coral reef habitats. With handsome black-and-white line drawings throughout, key features for identification and good information about the habitat, natural history and cultural significance of each species. (MYA29, $29.95)   The Blood of Kings, Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art  •  Linda Schele  •  Mary Ellen Miller ARCHAEOLOGY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 542 PAGES Turn to this book if you're intrigued by Maya glyphs. Massive in size and importance, Blood of the Kings is a definitive re-evaluation of Maya culture based on recently deciphered hieroglyphic inscriptions. Beautifully illustrated, we first turned to this brilliant book after an inspiring lecture by Schele on Palenque's Pascal the Great. It's a demanding but masterful exegesis of our new understanding of Maya written language -- and how it has radically transformed our notions of the culture. (MYA08, $39.95)   Breaking the Maya Code  •  Michael Coe ARCHAEOLOGY •  2011 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A broadly considered history. Michael Coe chronicles the centuries-long search for the "rosetta stone" of the Mayan language, a search which received an enormous boost in 1952 when Yuri Knorosov successfully translated the Dresden Codex, a Mayan bark-paper text. The book also includes an extensive discussion of Maya studies and political activism in the wake of Knorosov's discovery. (MYA30, $19.95)   Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens, Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya  •  Simon Martin  •  Nikolai Grube ARCHAEOLOGY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES The history of the Maya dynasties, encompassing biographies of 152 kings and queens, as gleaned from recently deciphered hieroglyphs. It's an unusual, rewarding book, illustrated in color and black-and-white. This new edition of the kingdom-by-kingdom history of the ancient Maya brings the story up to date with previously unknown rulers, new glyphic readings and additional information on diplomacy and warfare. (MYA31, $26.95)   The Cities of Ancient Mexico  •  Jeremy Sabloff ARCHAEOLOGY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES With 152 black-and-white photographs, illustrations and site diagrams, this portrait of ancient civilizations in Mexico features chapters on the Oaxaca Valley, Teotihuacan and Palenque. Written by a renowned Mayanist, it also includes insightful chapters on how archaeologists have reconstructed the past in Mexico. (MEX41, $18.95)   The Code of Kings, The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs  •  Linda Schele  •  Peter Mathews ARCHAEOLOGY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A vivid guided survey of seven Maya sites, including Palenque, Tikal and Chichen Itza. This outstanding book features photos and line drawings throughout, and introductory chapters with a succinct introduction to Maya history and culture. Mayanists Schele and Mathews draw on recently found hieroglyphic writing to reveal the life -- and individual personalities -- of the ancient cities. Although it's not a beautiful book, marred by small print and lack of color, this book is still an essential companion to visiting Tikal, Palenque, Copan, Seibal, Chich'en Itza, Uxmal or Iximche'. (MYA13, $22.00)   The Copan Sculpture Museum, Ancient Maya Artistry in Stucco and Stone  •  Barbara W. Fash ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2011 •  PAPER  • 207 PAGES Opened in 1996, the Copan Sculpture Museum represents the best-known architecture from the ancient Mayan kingdom of Copan. Written alongside rich illustrations and detailed archaeological contextual information for each exhibit, Barbara Fash reveals the history of the museum as well as provides a thorough introduction to Maya history and culture. (MYA81, $35.00)   The Corn Grows Ripe  •  Dorothy Rhoads  •  Jean Charlot LITERATURE •  1993 •  PAPER  • 88 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A coming-of-age tale set in modern-day Yucatan that draws on Mayan lore and tradition. Tigre, a 12-year-old boy, must sow and harvest the crops to support his family and appease the gods after his father is injured. It's a chapter book with a glossary and beautiful black-and-white drawings by Jean Charlot. A Newbery Honor Book. (MYA35, $5.99)   The End of Time, The Maya Mystery of 2012  •  Anthony Aveni ARCHAEOLOGY •  2009 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES Aveni covers the what we know about the Maya and their ideas about creation, the Maya calendar and astronomy in this crisp overview. An expert in Maya cosmology, Aveni examines the evidence unearthed by Maya archaeologists, iconographers, and epigraphers over the significance of December 12, 2012 and, not surprisingly, finds no bases for claims that the word will end. (MYA73, $19.95)   The Fall of the Ancient Maya, Solving the Mystery of the Maya Collapse  •  David L. Webster ARCHAEOLOGY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 368 PAGES An account of the mysterious fall of the ancient Maya civilization evaluates current theories and myths, citing sixteenth-century evidence of a residual population and offering a portrait of its Late Classic society beset by overly ambitious nobles, wars, and an exploding population that could not be sustained by its scanty agriculture. (MYA57, $34.95)   A Forest of Kings, The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya  •  Linda Schele  •  David Freidel HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 542 PAGES Renowned Maya archaeologists Linda Schele and David Freidel tell the history of the Maya, as it was recorded in the previously undecipherable hieroglyphs of the Maya. This excellent account traces the kingships and politics of the Maya, and features narratives recreating scenes of burials, blood sacrifices, battles and other events. The major Maya sites are described in detail, including Palenque, Copan, Yaxchilan, Tikal, Piedras Negras, Uaxactun and Chichen Itza. Accessible to the general reader, this book is profusely illustrated with photographs, color plates, maps and line drawings. Linda Schele is also the author of "The Blood of Kings" (MYA08) and "The Code of Kings" (MYA13). Includes extensive notes, and a glossary of gods and icons. (MYA22, $24.99)   Genesis (Memory of Fire Trilogy, Part 1)  •  Cedric Belfrage  •  Eduardo Galeano HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 306 PAGES Part one of a three-volume history of the Americas composed entirely of short vignettes, this volume extends from the pre-columbian creation myths through the chronicles of conquest and early colonial period. Lyrical, emminently readable and easy to skim for the geographic areas of particular interest. (MYA18, $16.95)   Guatemala: Never Again!  •  Thomas Quigley BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 424 PAGES An abstract of eyewitness testimony presented in Guatemala in 1998, a heartwrenching report of atrocities committed by the military government the devastating civil war. Published by the Mary Knoll sisters with the Archdiocese of Guatemala. (CAM88, $34.00)   A Guide to Ancient Maya Ruins  •  C. Bruce Hunter GUIDEBOOK •  1986 •  PAPER  • 342 PAGES A well organized guide to archaeological sites throughout the Maya world with good site diagrams and black-and-white photographs, originally published in 1974 and revised in 1986 for this second edition. While not up-to-date on recent developments, this book is nonetheless a compact, accessible survey of important archaeological sites for the traveler by an experienced study trip leader. (MYA23, $21.95)   I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala  •  Rigoberta Menchu  •  Elisabeth Burgos-Debray BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2009 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, this Guatemalan woman speaks eloquently of her struggles against the military for a decent way of life. A compelling testimony to the power of a strong-minded, ordinary person and her love for her land. Although some of the book's events have been called into question, no one disputes that everything in the book happened, although not necessarily to the author. Menchu asserts that, in the Maya tradition, she is telling the collective story of her people. Beware, it includes some graphic scenes of brutal violence. (GML01, $22.95)   Incidents of Travel in Yucatan  •  John Lloyd Stephens  •  Karl Ackerman ARCHAEOLOGY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES A classic, first published in 1841. Stephens chronicles in rich detail his rediscovery of 44 Maya sites in the Yucatan, among them Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Kabah and Tulum. This new one-volume edition, organized geographically, is especially abridged for the visitor. Edgar Allan Poe called the book "perhaps the most interesting travel book ever published." Dozens of modern and archival photographs complement Frederick Catherwood's original drawings. (MEX02, $16.95)   The Maya  •  Michael Coe ARCHAEOLOGY •  2011 •  PAPER  • 280 PAGES A clear, concise introduction to Maya archaeology and culture by a leading authority. A volume in the series, "Ancient Peoples and Places," this short book highlights the chronology, accomplishments and legacy of the Maya. Eighth edition. (MYA10, $26.95)   The Maya and Teotihuacan, Reinterpreting Early Classic Interaction  •  Geoffrey E. Braswell HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 441 PAGES A collection of essays shedding light on the relationship between two Mesoamerican civilizations. With chapter by Karl Taube. (MYA40, $37.00)   Maya Art and Architecture  •  Mary Ellen Miller ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES Organized thematically, this book by Yale art historian Mary Ellen Miller surveys the art and architecture throughout Mayadom. She makes use of the latest discoveries at Tikal, Copan Palenque and other Maya sites to present the range of art from architecture, to sculpture, ceramics and murals. The text is much enhanced by 200 illustrations, 50 in color, including site plans, maps, strikingly rendered reconstructions and color photographs of key temples and buildings. For the traveler interested in better understanding Maya art -- and particularly the glyphs featured on Maya sculpture -- we couldn't recommend this book more highly. (MYA20, $19.95)   Maya Cosmos, Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path  •  Joy Parker  •  Linda Schele  •  David Freidel ARCHAEOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 543 PAGES A provocative, speculative history of Central American religious practices since the dawn of the Maya kingdoms. The authors -- an archaeologist, an epigrapher and a popular historian -- suggest that contemporary shamanistic practices may be continuous with the religious rituals of the ancient Maya. (MYA32, $23.99)   Maya Glyphs  •  S.D. Houston HISTORY •  1989 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES A concise survey of ancient Maya language and writing for the interested traveler. It includes an excellent chapter which introduces Maudslay, Morley, Thompson, Proskouriakoff and other key figures in Maya archaeology. While linguists will better appreciate the chapters on the spelling, structure and grammar of Maya writing, serious study of this book will help anyone better appreciate the Maya world. (MYA24, $15.95)   Maya Roads  •  Mary Jo McConahay TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2011 •  PAPER  • 260 PAGES McConahay draws upon her three decades of traveling and living in Central America's remote landscapes to create a fascinating chronicle of the people, politics, archaeology, and species of the Central American rainforest, the cradle of Maya civilization. (MYA71, $16.95)   The Order of Days, The Maya World and the Truth About 2012  •  David Stuart ARCHAEOLOGY •  2011 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES David Stuart, the foremost scholar of the Maya and recipient of numerous awards for his work, takes a hard look at the frenzy over 2012 and offers a fascination (and accurate) trip through Mayan culture and belief. Stuart shows how the idea that the "end of the Mayan calendar," which supposedly heralds the end of our own existence, says far more about our culture than about the ancient Maya. The Order of Days explores how the real intellectual achievement of ancient Maya timekeeping and worldview is far more impressive and remarkable than any of the popular, and often outrageous, claims about this advanced civilization. (MYA75, $24.00)   Palenque, Eternal City of the Maya  •  George Stuart  •  David Stuart ARCHAEOLOGY •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES George and David Stuart, father-and-son archaeologists, draw on their long association with Palenque for this in-depth account of the discovery, meaning and wonders of this most beautiful of Maya cities. With site plans, black-and-white drawings and a section of color photographs. (MEX239, $34.95)   Popol Vuh  •  Victor Montejo  •  Luis Garay RELIGION •  2009 •  PAPER  • 85 PAGES • FAMILY A wonderful re-telling of this Maya sacred text, sensitively illustrated. Children will thrill to the tale of the fateful ball game between the underworld gods and the Hero Twins, and parents will appreciate the inclusion of some commentary on Spanish imperialism. Translated from the Spanish. (MYA28, $12.95)   Popol Vuh, The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life  •  Dennis Tedlock LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 388 PAGES The definitive, unabridged collection of creation myths and stories of the Quiche people, fundamental to understanding the worldview of the highland Maya. First transcribed into Latin in the 17th century, then revised and expanded in the 1990s by Dennis Tedlock, who consulted contemporary Maya. Carlos Fuentes called it "The Maya Bible." (MYA14, $16.99)   Reading Maya Art  •  Marc Zender ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2011 •  HARD COVER  • 248 PAGES Organized thematically, these 100 symbols touch on many facets of the Maya world, from the natural environment-animals, plants, the heavens-to the mental landscape of gods, myths, and rituals. Using hundreds of line drawings and photographs and drawing on the latest scholarship, Stone and Zender show how to identify these signs, understand their meaning, and appreciate their role in Maya art. (MYA69, $34.95)   Reading the Maya Glyphs  •  Mark Van Stone  •  Michael Coe ARCHAEOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES A compact illustrated guide to commonly encountered Maya hieroglyphs. With clear drawings by the talented calligrapher Mark Van Stone and illuminating text by reigning Mayanist Michael Coe. It's an excellent introduction to Maya writing for the traveler. (MYA26, $19.95)   Skywatchers  •  Anthony Aveni HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 423 PAGES In this revised edition, Aveni brings together new research in archeology, astronomy and ethnology to study Mesoamerican society and its relation to the skies. He pays particular attention to calendars, religion and science in both Aztec and Maya cultures. (MEX136, $34.95)   Stairways to the Stars, Skywatching in Three Great Ancient Cultures  •  Anthony Aveni ARCHAEOLOGY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 230 PAGES An overview of the influence of astronomy on the design of ancient monuments and cities, focusing on Stonehenge, the Incas and the Maya. (GEN314, $18.95)   Stolen Continents, 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas  •  Ronald Wright HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A powerful history of imperialism and resistance in the Americas, with a focus on the Aztec, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois. Wright's illuminating account, told largely from the point of view of the losers, details the rapid collapse of cultures and societies in the Americas following the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. Wright draws on an impressive range of archival material in reconstructing this classic account, originally published in 1993. Wright is also the author of Time Among the Maya. (NAM20, $24.95)   Time Among the Maya, Travels in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico  •  Ronald Wright TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES An account of travels among the contemporary Maya of Guatemala and Yucatan (with a side trip to Belize City). Organized geographically, it devotes chapters on Belize, the Peten, highland Guatemala, Chiapas and the Yucatan. Unlike most travelogues, this book includes a glossary, notes, bibliography and index. Wright (who also wrote the excellent Cut Stones and Crossroads, set in Peru) combines journalism, archaeology and a fine ear for dialogue in this engaging account. Originally published in 1989. (CAM84, $16.00)   Unfinished Conquest, The Guatemalan Tragedy  •  Daniel Chauche  •  Victor Perera HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 297 PAGES An oral history of devastating 30-year civil war. Perera interviewed hundreds of people for this astonishing book, not only the resilient Maya but also landowners, government officials, military personnel, and clergy. With photographs by Daniel Chauche. Perera, a Guatemalan-born academic, has also written a compelling memoir, "Rites: A Guatemalan Boyhood." (CAM83, $31.95)   Weaving Identities: Construction of Dress and Self in a Highland Guatemala Town  •  Carol Hendrickson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  PAPER  • 245 PAGES An ethnography of contemporary life in the Guatemalan highlands -- and study of the political significance and role of traditional costume. It's a scholarly analysis based on field work in Tecpan during the civil war, when to wear traditional clothing was to assert "We are Maya!" (the title of the last chapter of this fascinating book). (GML07, $19.95)   Yucatan Before and After the Conquest  •  Diego de Landa  •  William Gates HISTORY •  1978 •  PAPER  • 162 PAGES A 16th-century report by the first bishop of Yucatan, a dedicated ethnographer who has provided the most complete early European account of the Maya. With maps and handsome line drawings, the book is an unabridged facsimile of a limited edition published in 1937 by the Maya Society in Baltimore. (MYA15, $8.95)
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