Lost Chronicles of the Maya Kings

by David Drew

Over the last two centuries explorers have made the most remarkable discoveries in the tropical forests of Central America. Across much of present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras dozens of cities - some with populations of well over 100,000 - have been unveiled, and every year fresh reports emerge of the findings of unknown Maya ruins - great temples, palaces, towering stone pyramids and the tombs of the Maya kings. What these spectacular discoveries indicate is the former presence of an exceptionally advanced, sophisticated and complex society. Recently, major developments made in the decipherment of Maya hieroglyphics have revealed that alongside the material achievements of the Maya ran intellectual accomplishments in astronomy, maths and calendrics, seemingly tied to the complexities of Maya religion, that were remarkable for a society technically in the Stone Age. From reliefs on temple walls, from magnificent hieroglyphic stairways and from stone stelae planted by Maya rulers in the plazas of their cities has come written the Chronicles of the Maya Kings. In this fascinating book, David Drew brings to life this extraordinary civilisation. He answers questions about why they constructed their cities in the hostile setting of the jungle, the exact age of their ruins, the strange human images depicted in elaborate costume at so many Maya sites, and he asks why at the time of the Spanish conquest, all knowledge of the Mayas had been lost. He looks at their history, art, architecture, political systems, religion, and, finding that the Maya are not in fact a lost or dead people - there are still five million descendants living in Mexico - considers the ways in which their society today illuminates that of their ancestors.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Anna Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and in depth look at the Maya civilisation, its history, culture, society and beliefs as far as they are known.
Treated the sources from Hispanic conquest with the scepticism they deserved to avoid, where possible, putting white interpretations on non-white beliefs and culture. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[Emma M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

My teacher said this text was so interesting that he read it like a novel. I question his taste in novels because reading this just felt like plowing through endless boring archeological descriptions in order to get to little interesting facts.

[Drake Tungsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

My compliments to the author. He did a good job with this book. Not since Michael Coe's "Breaking the Maya Code" have I found a book on the Maya so exciting to read and so easy to get through. David Drew doesn't bog you down in academic minutae.

I found two things in this book that were particularly fascinating. One, that the Maya were not a single pre-Columbian empire, as is so often portrayed, but rather a set of city-states involved in constantly shifting alliances with other political entities. It made the Maya seem that much more accessible and real as people.

The second item I found fascinating was the fact that the Maya city of Tayasal survived into the period of the Spanish Conquest, while the bulk of the Maya world, and its once proud city-state, had collapsed several hundred years earlier. I am curious to read more about this particular city in a book by Grant Jones.

I highly recommend this book to all those interested in the Maya. It is a good read and you don't need to be an expert on the Maya to enjoy it.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read a history text and I was worried I wouldn't enjoy it, but I shouldn't have been. I found the style very easy to read, even when dealing with complicated place names and convoluted histories. The book started off with how the ancient Maya ruins were first discovered and explored, the hieroglyphics painstakingly translated and how different misconceptions flourished then died. Then it dipped back in time to the Maya civilisation itself, starting with is very earliest beginnings, to its collapse and final conquest by the Spanish. I would have liked a few more pictures and sometimes got frustrated that the colour plates that the text was referring to were so far away, but overall what pictures that were there were brilliant. Overall, I am really glad I picked this up and enjoyed reading about a period of history I knew nothing about before.

[Byrd Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kept on the night stand with a large pile that I peruse avidly one week and return again when I'm inspired. Very much a pure, historical perspective- quite informative and interesting, especially when it is realised that only a miniscule percentage of the ruins have yet been uncovered.

[Don LaVange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading this. I'd like something similar for Teotihuacan.

[Pascal Blanquer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting history!
Covering various aspects from the history, the archeological work and so on