The Rise and Fall of Maya Civilization

by J. Eric S. Thompson

Ever since the discovery of the ruins of Maya cities in the Central American jungle, people have speculated about this stone-age people who developed a brilliant civilization--one which had already degenerated & decayed by the time Spain entered the New World. The Maya were expert in astronomy, mathematics & hieroglyphic writing. They possessed a sophisticated political & social organization & their culture produced great art & architecture. This book looks at the Mayan civilization, the Maya's daily life & astonishing achievements.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Archaeology

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Sir John Eric Sidney Thompson was an archaeologist specializing in the Mayan areas of Mexico and Central America, who was long associated with the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Sir Thompson also was awarded the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, commander of the Spanish Order of Isabel la Católica, and Fellow of the British Academy.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

Thanks to what might have been optimistically described as an outdated university library I read an early edition, quite possibly the first, of this book.

It had a lot of charm. Very unusually the text was broken up by, I think four, fictional imaginative reconstructions. One was a party of Maya visiting a village by canoe, another a youth preparing for a religious ceremony and so on. The account was chronological from pre-civic, to their impressive temple complexes built in the jungles of central America to their collapse and slow 'disappearance'.

However the breakthrough in decoding and finally being able to read the Maya script achieved in the 1980s combined with the ongoing archaeological discoveries transformed the understanding of Maya culture and Thompson's priestly elite with their minds focused on the heavens were swept away by a flood of competing, highly focused and determined political animals described in A Forest of Kings The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya.

With all respect for the author, this is now best read as a reminder in humility. Even the best scholarship can't transcend the limits of the available sources. Apparently Thompson ignored research into the Maya done in the Soviet Bloc because of his strict adherence to the Spirit of the Times.

The Art of Mesoamerica has a nice modern overview (and more illustrations).

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Rise and Fall of Mayan Civilization" may have been worth three or four stars when it was published 70 years ago but today it is simply superseded. It provides a general overview of the history, religious practices and art of the Mayas. Thompson was considered to be the leading authority on Mayan civilization during the 1950s and 1960s. He led a number of important excavations in Belize (British Honduras) and was pioneer in the study of Mayan hieroglyphs. Unfortunately many of his ideas presented in this book written for the general public are variance with current academic thinking. Notably, Thompson:
1. estimated the Mayan population at its peak in the Classical era to be 3 million when the current consensus puts it between 7 and 11 million
2. argued that the Mayan temple complexes were isolated ceremonial centres when subsequent topographic studies have demonstrated that they were city centres ringed by large numbers of wooden huts that housed large populations
3. insisted that the Mayan city states were theocracies while most experts now think that the rulers were nobles
4. stated that the art, architecture and religious culture of the Mayans went into decline after Mexican invaders replaced the local Mayan ruling elites whereas the contemporary view point is that that a demographic collapse caused by soil depletion undermined the production of temples and artistic objects
5. asserted for many years that Mayan hieroglyphs were not readable but were simple religious symbols. The hieroglyphs have since been translated and have been discovered to contain valuable information on the dynastic histories of the states.
In short the archeological investigations and other research that have been performed in the sixty years since the initial publication of "The Rise and Fall of Mayan Civilization" make it irrelevant. Readers looking for an introductory text would be better off reading Michael Coe's "The Maya."
Thompson's book is not, however, quite as bad as its detractors make it out. The current experts appear to under-estimate the importance of religion in Mayan society. They may be right to say that the Mayan states were not theocracies but they fail to present any coherent model for the political structures of the Mayans. The term noble is sometimes applied to the rulers of the Mayan states. However the term "noble" implies that a landed aristocracy exists. As the best current research suggests that land was held in common, one certainly cannot say that there nobles or aristocrats as understood in the Western European context. The fact there are flaws in the arguments of those who criticize Thompson does not mean however that there is anything to be gained by reading his book.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since the decipherment of the Maya script this book has become outdated, but for anyone interested in an historical overview of Maya studies Thompson must be included. From the fifties into the seventies he was the preeminent English writer in the field.

[Karen Christino · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest in Maya astrology led me to this book, and it does contain chapters on the Maya philosophy of time as well as their gods and cosmology. It’s a fascinating topic and archaeologist J. Eric S. Thompson covers their history as well as many other facets of their lives. While the first part of the book is rather dense for those of us who don’t specialize in this field, the second half is easier going and addresses the Maya’s achievements, daily life and religion. The great depth and scope of Thompson’s knowledge is due to his decades-long studies, including expeditions to Central American ruins, learning the hieroglyphic language and relationships with contemporary descendants. Includes many photos and illustrations. I read a 2nd edition printed in 1973, so some information must be outdated. But as the author generally describes how he has come to his conclusions, the book is still valuable and certainly put my understanding of this civilization in context.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in the 50's and has that distinct style of the educated and civilized academic dealing with a culture that is considered backward. It is saved by his obvious love of the Maya and his real admiration for their achievements, which were considerable. He also has working for him the fact that when he was searching for these sites they were mostly unknown to archaeology and he had to trudge through dramatic jungle to get to most of it. That was my fascination with it as I'm really looking forward to following in some of his footsteps this summer.

[Caterina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi dispiace sempre scrivere recensioni negative di un libro, soprattutto se è un saggio, quindi frutto di studio e in un certo senso anche comunicazione della professione dell'autore. Purtroppo di questo libro mi sono piaciuti solo pochi capitoli, nella lettura spesso mi sono distratta a tratti annoiata. Secondo me non è l'argomento in trattazione ad essere poco coinvolgente ma la scelta degli aspetti che l'autore ha scelto di approfondire (soprattutto l'architettura maya).

[Benjamin Brasford · Rating 4 out of 5]

J. Eric Thompson did a very good job of discussing Maya archaeology and reconstructing, as he saw it, Maya History. He utilizes the writings of Bishop Landa refequently, and presents some of the most important names within the study of the Maya.

[Giuls ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stelle
Non accuratamente storico ma comunque interessante. Un po' noioso in alcuni punti.

[Mario D'Amore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear description of the author's idead of Maya civilization.

[Keith]

Not sure about this beast of a read. Really looking forward.