The Ancient MayaThe Ancient Maya

Thanks to powerful innovations in archaeology and other types of historical research, we now have a picture of everyday life in the Mayan empire that turns the long-accepted conventional wisdom on its head.

Thanks to powerful innovations in archaeology and other types of historical research, we now have a picture of everyday life in the Mayan empire that turns the long-accepted conventional wisdom on its head.

Ranging from the end of the Ice Age to the flourishing of Mayan culture in the first millennium to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, The Ancient Maya takes a fresh look at a culture that has long held the public's imagination. Originally thought to be peaceful and spiritual, the Mayans are now also known to have been worldly, bureaucratic, and violent. Debates and unanswered questions linger.

Mayan expert Heather McKillop shows our current understanding of the Maya, explaining how interpretations of "dirt archaeology," hieroglyphic inscriptions, and pictorial pottery are used to reconstruct the lives of royalty, artisans, priests, and common folk. She also describes the innovative focus on the interplay of the people with their environments that has helped further unravel the mystery of the Mayans' rise and fall.

• Includes numerous illustrations and drawings plus depictions of important artifacts such as the murals of Bonampak and the hieroglyphic stairway of Copan

• • Provides detailed maps of major Maya cities as well as other research sites

McKillop (archaeology, Louisiana State U.) summarizes the evidence concerning the ancient people of Central America and offers her own interpretations and perspectives and those of her colleagues, which emphasize the economy and the variability within the culture. Among her topics are the historical and chronological setting, social organization and structure, religion and ideology, and intellectual accomplishments. She writes for educated general readers, but has also used the book as a textbook for both graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on the Maya. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)