Maya Civilization (World History)

Cover......Page 1
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 4
Important Dates at the Time of the Maya Civilization......Page 7
Foreword......Page 5
Introduction - The Maya: A Lost Civilization?......Page 9
Early Humans and the Land......Page 10
1. The Rise of the Maya......Page 13
Early Exploration Early Ideas......Page 14
Maudslay’s Pioneering Efforts......Page 16
Maya Settlement Patterns......Page 19
The Early Preclassic Period......Page 21
The Middle Preclassic Period......Page 23
The Classic Period......Page 24
The Arrival of Fire Is Born......Page 26
2. Maya Nobility of the Classic Period......Page 28
The Lifestyles of Maya Royal Families......Page 29
Communicating with the Gods......Page 31
Other Nobles......Page 33
Images of Beauty......Page 34
The Yalba Uinicob, or “Lower Men”......Page 39
Peasant Houses......Page 41
The New World’s Pompeii......Page 42
Feeding the Maya......Page 44
Maize and Other Foods......Page 45
Family Life......Page 48
Agricultural Practices......Page 52
Urban Architectural Developments......Page 53
Pyramids......Page 54
Maya Hieroglyphics......Page 56
Keeping Their Eyes on the Heavens......Page 58
Mathematics and an Obsession with Time......Page 60
The Maya Calendar......Page 61
The Maya Universe......Page 68
The Creation Myth......Page 70
The Hero Twins and the Creation of the People of the Corn......Page 71
Understanding the Maya Gods......Page 72
The Maya Pantheon......Page 75
Religious Ceremonies......Page 77
Blood Sacrifice......Page 78
The Postclassic Period and Collapse......Page 81
The Conquest and Beyond......Page 82
The Great Terror......Page 84
The Maya Renaissance and the Maya Movement......Page 85
Notes......Page 87
For More Information......Page 89
Index......Page 93
Picture Credits......Page 96
About the Author......Page 97
Back Cover......Page 98