by Knopf
First published 1995
This comprehensive exploration takes readers through the ancient Mayan world, from the jungle ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula to the highland sites of Central America. The book reveals the complex civilization that built these remarkable city-states through detailed visual documentation. Over 1,000 illustrations bring the Mayan world to life, including photographs of crumbling temples, detailed drawings of artifacts, and maps tracing the connections between distant settlements. Cross-sectional diagrams reveal the internal structure of pyramids and palaces, while architectural plans show how these urban centers were organized. The narrative follows the geographic route that connects major Mayan sites, explaining how this civilization developed across diverse landscapes and time periods. Readers discover the daily life, religious practices, and political systems that sustained these communities for over a millennium.
Genres: history, archaeology, non-fiction, art-history, architecture, academic
Vibes: educational, informative, thought-provoking
Tropes: informative-narrative
Setting: Central America, Yucatan Peninsula
Period: Ancient
424 pages · Paperback · Knopf