The Classic Maya

by Stephen D. Houston, Takeshi Inomata

In the first millennium AD, the Classic Maya created courtly societies in and around the Yucatan Peninsula that have left some of the most striking intellectual and aesthetic achievements of the ancient world, including large settlements like Tikal, Copan, and Palenque. This book is the first in-depth synthesis of the Classic Maya. It is richly informed by new decipherments of hieroglyphs and decades of intensive excavation and survey. Structured by categories of person in society, it reports on kings, queens, nobles, gods, and ancestors, as well as the many millions of farmers and other figures who lived in societies predicated on sacred kingship and varying political programs. The Classic Maya presents a tandem model of societies bound by moral covenants and convulsed by unavoidable tensions between groups, all affected by demographic trends and changing environments. Focusing on the Classic heartland but referring to other zones, it will serve as the basic source for all readers interested in the civilization of the Maya.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Latin American History, Archaeology

402 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[AskHistorians]

Houston and Inomata's work offers an update from Schele's 1999 work with new translations of inscriptions coupled with archaeological finds over the decade. Houston has become one of the top epigraphers of the Maya region and Inomata is a top-notch archaeologist and both have contributed greatly to the field and our understanding of the Maya past.

[Brendan Steinhauser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this book on the Maya during the so-called classic period. It was very helpful as I recently visited the archaeological sites of Tikal, Aguateca, and Yaxha in Guatemala. Although a bit dense for the general reader, it does contain a wealth of information about how the classic Maya lived, worked, worshiped, and ruled. It was a good read for a deep dive on Maya culture. If you are looking for something a little less dense, I would recommend Professor Michael Coe's books on the Maya.

[Vanessa_Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neat Introduction into classic maya society.

[Lindsay]

Read for an Anthropology of Ancient American Civilizations class.

[Hisham · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a Teotihuacano says something so Chaahkphobic you gotta hit them with the K’uhul Ajaw stare