The World of the Ancient Maya

John Murray, London, "new" edition (first UK edition), 1998. Cloth, 4to, 25 cm,. xvi, 329 pp, ills, (some colour), maps. When The World of the Ancient Maya was published in 1981 it immediately established itself as the best available guide to the rich and extraordinary Maya culture. Comprehensive, readable, concise, it was greeted as a wonderfully accomplished work. Now it is re-published with a completely revised text taking account of the mass of new information that recent research has made available. It also includes a wealth of new illustrations in colour and black - and - white. Henderson explores the ancient Maya from the earliest traces of settlement to the Spanish conquest of Central America in the sixteenth century. They were the only fully literate pre-columbian people in the Americas, and their texts are deciphered here to reconstruct their ways of life. Superb scientists, they developed highly sophisticated mathematics and an intricate and accurate calendar system. Theirs was one of the few complex societies to emerge in the tropical forest and adapt successfully to living there. Their architecture, sculpture and painting were compellingly beautiful. Henderson covers the full range of Maya culture, including religion and philosophy, and he also explores the interaction between different Maya societies, since they varied culturally according to their exact environment." - from the blurb. Very Good in Very Good dustwrapper.