México antiguo: Historia y cultura de los pueblos de Mesoamérica

by Maria Longhena

First-rate color photography makes this look at the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica a valuable addition to any art lover's library collection. Among the civilizations represented in nearly 450 illustrations are the Maya, the Aztecs, and the Toltecs. Readers will learn not only about the mighty pyramids of Tenochtitlan , the Temple of the Paintings at Bonampak, and the ball courts of El Tajin, but about smaller ceramic vessels, jade figurines, and other ceremonial objects. Although the text does acknowledge the near-complete destruction of these vibrant cultures by Spanish conquistadors, the majority of its contents are devoted to celebrating what the Mesoamericans did accomplish and what has been preserved for us to remember those accomplishments.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Archaeology, Art, The Americas, Indigenous

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Maria Longhena studied ancient history at Bologna University and wrote her thesis on pre-Columbian history and civilizations of America. She has carried out research on collections of objects from pre-Columbian Peru at the Museo di Anthropologia at Florence University, the Musee de l'Homme in Paris, and the Musees Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire in Brussels. She has collaborated on several exhibitions dealing with pre-Columbian archaeology, and has specialized in the religions and writings of ancient Peru and ancient Mexico.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This oversize coffee-table book has beautifully reproduced, well-chosen photographs, but significant drawbacks.

Pluses:
* Excellent photos of iconic objects
* Good cross-section of prehispanic Mesoamerican artwork/artifacts
* Nice feature articles on many major archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras

Neutral:
* Average-quality text (translated from Italian)

Negatives:
* No decent overall map of the area
* Maps of cultures are so general as to be almost useless

So, this shouldn't be your only guide to prehispanic Mesoamerican history. But the high quality of the photos makes it worthwhile if you find an inexpensive copy.

[Alexus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing photography. Worth looking through for that alone. While the written information is pretty slight, it gives a decent (but VERY fast) overview and some interesting discussion of particular sites. A good read for someone traveling to some of these sites, or for someone looking for the briefest of overviews of Precolumbian Mesoamerican culture. The photos really are fantastic.