Secrets of the Maya /
From the discovery of ancient caves used for religious rituals - including human sacrifice - to the search for the legendary "Site Q," Secrets of the Maya takes readers on an exciting and surprising archaeological journey. The Maya were long thought to be devout, peace-loving peasants guid...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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New York :
Hatherleigh Press,
2002
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Table of Contents:
- Preface: A Journey from Prehistory into History / Peter A. Young 1
- Introduction: The New Maya / T. Patrick Culbert 5
- Part I Politics, War and Survival
- Scribes, Warriors & Kings: The Lives of the Copan Maya / William L. Fash, Jr., Barbara W. Fash 15
- Uncovering a Royal Tomb in Copan: Rescue excavations after Hurricane Mitch yield a ruler's burial / Angela M. H. Schuster 25
- Maya Superstates: How a few powerful kingdoms vied for control of the Maya Lowlands during the Classic period / Simon Martin, Nikolai Grube 28
- Maya Palace Uncovered: Extensive palace found at the Maya site of Cancuen in Guatemala's Peten region / Angela M. H. Schuster 33
- Life & Death in a Maya War Zone: Within a Yucatan pyramid lie the grim traces of a violent change in rulership--the remains of a slaughtered royal family / Charles Suhler, David Freidel 35
- A Mighty Maya Nation: How Caracol built an empire by cultivating its "middle class." / Arlen F. Chase, Diane Z. Chase 42
- Tropical Time Capsule: An ancient village preserved in volcanic ash yields evidence of Mesoamerican peasant life / Payson D. Sheets 48
- The Art of Gardening: Eating well at a Mesoamerican Pompeii / James Wiseman 52
- Part II Arts, Religion & Culture
- Music of the Maya: A grave-site trove of flutes and figurine ocarinas in western Belize suggests musical sophistication among the ancient Maya / Paul F. Healy 59
- Imaging Maya Art: Infrared video "prospecting" of Bonampak's famous murals yields critical details no longer visible to the naked eye / Mary Miller 67
- The Search for Site Q: For years scholars have been looking for the source of an array of unprovenienced Maya sculptures in collections here and abroad / Angela M.H. Schuster 72
- Mission to La Corona: A new Maya site may fail to qualify as Site Q / Ian Graham 78
- Written in the Stars: The celestial origin of Maya creation myth / Richard A. Wertime, Angela M.H. Schuster 80
- Living Constellations: A Mayan reading of the story of the stars / Dennis, Barbara Tedlock 85
- Rituals of the Modern Maya: A strong undercurrent of Precolumbian belief pervades much of today's religious practice / Angela M.H. Schuster 89
- Seeing through Mayan Eyes: A vernal-equinox appearance of the feathered serpent highlights a 7-day cruise to the Yucatan / Andrew L. Slayman 94
- Cruising the Maya Coast: An expedition highlights ancient sites in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala / Spencer P.M. Harrington 98
- Part III Reading the Maya Past
- The Great Chronicler of Mayan Art: Merle Greene Robertson has spent a lifetime documenting Mesoamerican sculpture, carvings, and paintings / Tom Gidwitz 105
- The Maverick Mayanist: Ian Graham's 37-year crusade to record every known Maya monument has earned him a place in the constellation of great Mesoamerican explorers / John Dorfman, Andrew L. Slayman 112
- The Glyph Decoder: Pioneering epigrapher, scholar, and communicator, Linda Schele has helped shape a whole new vision of the humanity of the Maya / Gillett Griffin 126
- Honoring Linda Schele: Students and colleagues gather to pay homage to magnificent Mayanist / Angela M.H. Schuster 133
- A Triumph of Spirit: How Yuri Knorosov cracked the Maya hieroglyphic code from far-off Leningrad / Michael D. Coe 137
- From Parlours to Pyramids: Fleeing the "gilded cage of English civilization," artist and adventurer Adela Breton became a skilled copier of Maya murals and reliefs in the early 1900s / Mary McVicker 144
- Part IV An Endangered History
- Plundering the Peten: Maya sites in northern Guatemala have been systematically looted for decades. Now the government is fighting back / Richard D. Hansen 151
- A Run for Their Lives: An archaeologist and his colleagues narrowly escape a mob of angry villagers / Angela M.H. Schuster 154
- Protecting the Maya Past: Archeology news briefs document recent efforts to prevent looting 156
- Antiquities Scandal (Boston Museum Under Fire)
- Copan Tomb Looted (Peten Sites Also Ravaged)
- Maya Past Protected (El Pilar Reserve Established)
- Maya Art Return (Carving from the Guatemalan site of El Zotz goes home)
- Maya Stela Fragment Returned
- Mystery of the Maya Facade: Astute detective work gives new meaning to a looted artwork / David Freidel 160
- Pioneers of the Bajo: Jungle surveyors in Guatemala uncover the breadbasket of the Maya world / Tom Gidwitz 166
- On the Healer's Path: A journey through the Maya rain forest / Angela M.H. Schuster 178
- The Enduring Maya: Henequen plantations like Yaxcopoil in the northern Yucatan attest a peoples' indomitable spirit / Mark Rose 184