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Il mondo dei Maya
A comprehensive look at Mayan civilization describes social and political organization, customs, religion, art, architecture, and the life-styles of common people and the ruling classes
Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
About the author
Victor Wolfgang von Hagen
150 books14 followersVictor Wolfgang von Hagen (February 29, 1908 - March 8, 1985) was a US-American explorer, archaeological historian, anthropologist, and travel writer who traveled the South Americas with his wife, Christine. Mainly between 1940 and 1965, he published a large number of widely acclaimed books about the ancient people of the Inca, Maya, and Aztecs.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 22, 2026
The World of the Maya by Victor Wolfgang von Hagen covers the Maya civilisation that emerged in the Yucatan Peninsula and left a distinct cultural and architectural legacy.
Von Hagen, in this book, writes another lucid account of a Mesoamerican culture. He begins by emphasising the difficulties of writing a book on a people whose greatest heights came in the distant past, long before the arrival of the conquistadors. With minimal written record, the classical Maya have survived primarily in their surprisingly well-preserved architectural remains and the historical memory of the Maya people of the 16th century. As such, Von Hagen prefaced that not only was this a difficult book to write but also likely a difficult book to read.
This preface gave me initial cause for concern; however, based on my enjoyment of another Von Hagen book on the Incas, I was sure, as it indeed turned out, that this would be another adept study of such a fascinating and mysterious people. The history of the Maya people and the unique aspects of their religion, language and traditions are all well written in Von Hagen's more personal style. Some of the main population centres are also discussed, such as Tikal, probably the most resplendent of Ancient Maya cities. Von Hagen analyses the architectural remains, notably sculpture and pyramid remains and the sprawling, unwalled nature of Maya cities.
Von Hagen also devotes a final chapter to discussing the achievements of the Maya people, in particular their advanced calendar system and glyph writing, both of which were designed with the purpose of stamping the time of completion of a given building. As such, Von Hagen rightly described the Maya as a civilisation uniquely fixated with time. In fact, the development of writing deriving from this purpose and not more practical trade means is a unique aspect of their history. The temples and pyramids are also discussed as one of the most outstanding and grand remains of Mesoamerican architecture.
Von Hagen also clarifies some of my own confusions about the Maya and the centralisation of their civilisation. In my view, I considered them similar to the ancient Celts, a simplification of a complex web of people. However, the Maya portrayed by Von Hagen are, to a larger extent, in the mould of the Classical Greeks. Being a people with a single language, religion and common culture but never united under one imperial state, possessing no centre of Maya organisation or capital like Tenochtitlan or Cuzco. That is not to say, however, that their cities were any less grand. Tikal and other Maya cities at their height housed splendid civic and religious architecture such as those found at Xlah-pak, Sayil and the nunnery of Uxmal. Maya sculpture design was particularly well developed and possessed a realistic, grounded quality.
As with the Aztecs and Incas, the Maya showed in equal measure continuity and similarities with other Bronze Age civilisations from the Old World in a broad sense but some unique cultural preferences in other areas. For example, the Maya had a very unusual notion of beauty and what a noble should look like. As Von Hagen notes, the Maya would practice the flattening of foreheads using two wooden planks tied together and attempt to make young children cross-eyed by sticking a string between their eyes and have them stare at it for hours on end. All of this and other physical characteristics, in their view, gave them a 'noble appearance'. The Maya like their Aztec neighbours also frequently partook in human sacrifice although it should be said not near to the extent of the Aztecs. The continued large-scale use of this practice likely lies in the frequent dry periods in the Yucatan peninsula, where irrigation, unlike with the Incas, was not developed. This led to the Maya often leaving the cities during these dry periods and engaging in human sacrifice as a desperate appeal to the gods for recompense.
As an aside, I was also very fortunate to have purchased a used book of which a previous owner had made copious notes explaining highfalutin words and providing added context for a particular point.
Overall, The World of the Maya is another triumph by Victor Wolfgang Von Hagen. Perhaps slightly dated at points with an overreliance on Fray Diego de Landa, but generally historically grounded, particularly in relation to archaeological remains and with good use of comparisons to other civilisations.
Von Hagen, in this book, writes another lucid account of a Mesoamerican culture. He begins by emphasising the difficulties of writing a book on a people whose greatest heights came in the distant past, long before the arrival of the conquistadors. With minimal written record, the classical Maya have survived primarily in their surprisingly well-preserved architectural remains and the historical memory of the Maya people of the 16th century. As such, Von Hagen prefaced that not only was this a difficult book to write but also likely a difficult book to read.
This preface gave me initial cause for concern; however, based on my enjoyment of another Von Hagen book on the Incas, I was sure, as it indeed turned out, that this would be another adept study of such a fascinating and mysterious people. The history of the Maya people and the unique aspects of their religion, language and traditions are all well written in Von Hagen's more personal style. Some of the main population centres are also discussed, such as Tikal, probably the most resplendent of Ancient Maya cities. Von Hagen analyses the architectural remains, notably sculpture and pyramid remains and the sprawling, unwalled nature of Maya cities.
Von Hagen also devotes a final chapter to discussing the achievements of the Maya people, in particular their advanced calendar system and glyph writing, both of which were designed with the purpose of stamping the time of completion of a given building. As such, Von Hagen rightly described the Maya as a civilisation uniquely fixated with time. In fact, the development of writing deriving from this purpose and not more practical trade means is a unique aspect of their history. The temples and pyramids are also discussed as one of the most outstanding and grand remains of Mesoamerican architecture.
Von Hagen also clarifies some of my own confusions about the Maya and the centralisation of their civilisation. In my view, I considered them similar to the ancient Celts, a simplification of a complex web of people. However, the Maya portrayed by Von Hagen are, to a larger extent, in the mould of the Classical Greeks. Being a people with a single language, religion and common culture but never united under one imperial state, possessing no centre of Maya organisation or capital like Tenochtitlan or Cuzco. That is not to say, however, that their cities were any less grand. Tikal and other Maya cities at their height housed splendid civic and religious architecture such as those found at Xlah-pak, Sayil and the nunnery of Uxmal. Maya sculpture design was particularly well developed and possessed a realistic, grounded quality.
As with the Aztecs and Incas, the Maya showed in equal measure continuity and similarities with other Bronze Age civilisations from the Old World in a broad sense but some unique cultural preferences in other areas. For example, the Maya had a very unusual notion of beauty and what a noble should look like. As Von Hagen notes, the Maya would practice the flattening of foreheads using two wooden planks tied together and attempt to make young children cross-eyed by sticking a string between their eyes and have them stare at it for hours on end. All of this and other physical characteristics, in their view, gave them a 'noble appearance'. The Maya like their Aztec neighbours also frequently partook in human sacrifice although it should be said not near to the extent of the Aztecs. The continued large-scale use of this practice likely lies in the frequent dry periods in the Yucatan peninsula, where irrigation, unlike with the Incas, was not developed. This led to the Maya often leaving the cities during these dry periods and engaging in human sacrifice as a desperate appeal to the gods for recompense.
As an aside, I was also very fortunate to have purchased a used book of which a previous owner had made copious notes explaining highfalutin words and providing added context for a particular point.
Overall, The World of the Maya is another triumph by Victor Wolfgang Von Hagen. Perhaps slightly dated at points with an overreliance on Fray Diego de Landa, but generally historically grounded, particularly in relation to archaeological remains and with good use of comparisons to other civilisations.
July 11, 2017
Very informative. Excellent source material. =)
December 20, 2015
Though dated somewhat, Von Hagen gives a good overview of Mayan history and culture. Particularly impressive are the descriptions of the monumental Mayan buildings, the ceremonial cities and urban centers and the long, raised roads that connected them together. Particularly striking is his description of the ritualized human sacrificial practices.* The Spanish conquest of the Maya, brutal as it was, seemed no more brutal than one it replaced.
*”The chacs were four old, honored men ‘to aid the priest.’ The nacom was the one who cut open the chests of the sacrificial victims and jerked out the beating hearts.” The priest’s “hair, left long, was unkempt, unwashed, and ‘stinky’ from the blood of [human] sacrifice….The gods had to be nourished, like any other living beings, and as the gods proceeded necessarily from the Maya brain they were human and imperfect. If rain was withheld or disease appeared, it was because the gods were not properly propitiated. Blood and, most of all, throbbing human hearts were cherished by the gods. War yielded prisoners for sacrifice; in addition women and children were immolated….A victim marked for sacrifice was painted blue, that famous Maya blue which is found on murals and stone carvings….If one was to be sacrificed by the arrow ceremony…he was tied in crucifix fashion to a wooden frame high off the ground, and they ‘danced a solemn dance abut him.’ The priest wounded the victim in the place of shame (that is, the penis), and the blood that dripped from the wound was smeared on an idol nearby….Another form of sacrifice was to throw the ‘selected one’ into wells. The great cenote at Chichen Itza was the best known depository” that contained “the skeletal remains of men, women, and children.”
*”The chacs were four old, honored men ‘to aid the priest.’ The nacom was the one who cut open the chests of the sacrificial victims and jerked out the beating hearts.” The priest’s “hair, left long, was unkempt, unwashed, and ‘stinky’ from the blood of [human] sacrifice….The gods had to be nourished, like any other living beings, and as the gods proceeded necessarily from the Maya brain they were human and imperfect. If rain was withheld or disease appeared, it was because the gods were not properly propitiated. Blood and, most of all, throbbing human hearts were cherished by the gods. War yielded prisoners for sacrifice; in addition women and children were immolated….A victim marked for sacrifice was painted blue, that famous Maya blue which is found on murals and stone carvings….If one was to be sacrificed by the arrow ceremony…he was tied in crucifix fashion to a wooden frame high off the ground, and they ‘danced a solemn dance abut him.’ The priest wounded the victim in the place of shame (that is, the penis), and the blood that dripped from the wound was smeared on an idol nearby….Another form of sacrifice was to throw the ‘selected one’ into wells. The great cenote at Chichen Itza was the best known depository” that contained “the skeletal remains of men, women, and children.”
January 14, 2025
Outstanding presentation of what Mayan culture may have been like. Von Hagen details many facets of Mayan life based on written documentation from archeologists, historians, and explorers. He also uses Aldous Huxley as a backdrop thematic writer and challenges many of his arguments about the Mayan civilization. I will keep this brief, because there are many interesting things explored about how the Mayans lived, what they ate, their monetary system, hierarchal system, how they dealt with outsiders and how they survived constant war among their own peoples. I highly recommend this book for people interested in archeology, travelling, ancient civilizations, history, and travel books.
October 21, 2022
Bona primera aproximació a la història maia.
April 10, 2025
Esauriente, pratico, ricco, accompagnato da utili illustrazioni. Ottimo.
April 27, 2025
gracias a quien hizo este libro por proporcionarme la bibliografía, que es mínima, para mi tfg
May 20, 2020
When I was 23, my grad school roommate and I took a public bus from Mexico City to Merida. This book was our guide to the World of the Maya. Hung on to that copy. Amazing. I'm re-reading.
September 22, 2010
Research leading to an outline of Mayan culture and its practices, family designs, styles, ceremonies, food culture etc. Dry tone, thankfully.
October 8, 2012
Interesting look into the anthropological understanding of the Maya peoples way back when scholarship was still pretty primitive. Take everything in here with a grain of salt.
Read
September 14, 2012******
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews