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A clear and intelligent description of the development and
organization of Maya civilization.
Reviewer: A reader from Cincinnati, OH
Overall, I found Coe's book to be informative and full of
all the necessary facts. At the same time it kept my attention with the
beautiful color pictures and descriptions of sites and artifacts. This book
will give the reader an overview and introduction to the Maya area while
incorporating the latest findings. This makes a great general reference book
as well as a good read. The only suggestion I have is that the final three
chapters on religion and every-day life come before the in-depth discussion
of sites.
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The Ancient Maya
by Robert J. Sharer
***Luke's Pick
Reviewer: wilson@outrageous.net
This book has had many re-printings, and for good reason.
It is THE English language book that covers the ancient Maya in one volume.
This book was used as a text in a class I took in Mesoamerican archaeology.
I found it easy to read and very interesting. Great for a travel companion.
I used it extensively while traveling through Yucatán and Chiapas.
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Book Description
Popol Vuh, the QuichEMayan book of creation, is not only
the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, it is also
an extraordinary document of the human imagination. It begins with the deeds
of Mayan gods in the darkness of a primeval sea and ends with the radiant
splendor of the Mayan lords who founded the QuichEkingdom in the Guatemalan
highlands. Originally written in Mayan hieroglyphs, it was transcribed into
the Roman alphabet in the sixteenth century.
This new edition of Dennis Tedlock's unabridged, widely
praised translation includes new notes and commentary, newly translated
passages, newly deciphered hieroglyphs, and over forty new illustrations.
Synopsis
One of the most extraordinary works of the human
imagination and the most important text in the native languages of the
Americas, Popul Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life was first made
accessible to the public 10 years ago. This new edition retains the quality
of the original translation, has been enriched, and includes 20 new
illustrations, maps, drawings, and photos.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Mayan civilization, with its hieroglyphic writing and
dazzling city ruins, is among the most spectacular in the world. Mayanists
Schele and Mathews explain the recently deciphered script and give a vivid
guided tour through the cities. Focusing on seven of the most famous
buildings in Mayan archaeology, these experts show how the Maya used glyphs
to literally inscribe their architecture with accounts of their history and
sacred myths. The buildings described include the palace at Tikal, a shrine
to the celebrated "Great-Jaguar-Claw," who, like George Washington to
Americans, symbolized his city for centuries; and King Pakal's tomb, whose
construction and inscriptions this patron of the arts, obsessed with
preserving his memory for posterity and his soul for the afterlife, spent
his last years overseeing. Stories of the text-covered monuments of Mayan
kings will intrigue serious readers who seek depth of coverage on this
civilization but will also appeal to those who simply want to dip into
archaeology's mysteries. Philip Herbst --This text refers to the Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
This unique and extraordinary guide to seven major sites
of Maya civilization highlights the pioneering work of two great scholars of
ancient America. For readers at every level -- from the casual tourist to
the serious student -- The Code of Kings relies on Linda Schele and Peter
Mathews's revolutionary work in the decipherment of the hieroglyphs that
cover the surfaces of Maya ruins to give us a far clearer picture of Maya
culture than we have ever had.
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Best Available Guide to Ruins of North Central America,
February 15, 2000
Reviewer: psyche@laplaza.org (see more about me) from New
Mexico
This book, while somewhat outdated, provides accurate and
detailed information about the ruins in Guatemala in particular. The guides
I traveled with all wanted to purchase it to enhance their information. The
descriptions help you make decisions about where to go and having it with
you enhances viewing. Places are generally easier to get to now.
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Scholarly detectives unravel an ancient mystery, October
21, 1996
Reviewer: Sheri Williamson (see more about me)
The true story of the international network of scholars,
professional and amateur, who brought the world of the Maya lords out of the
shadows. The personalities of the modern Mayanists who finally broke the
"code" - including some fierce rivalries - are as integral a part of this
story as are the personal histories of the Mayan ruling class revealed by
the unraveling of the Mayans' complex system of writing. A must-read for
Mayanists and archeology enthusiasts. Author Michael Coe is a prominent art
historian and authority on ancient America who freely admits that some of
his own ideas about the Maya have been proven wrong by the findings
chronicled in this book! --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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The Quintessential Guide to the Gods of Ancient
Mesoamerica!, April 7, 1999
Reviewer: karl.lorenzen@ucr.edu from University of
California, Riverside
I am a seven-year graduate student of Dr. Karl Taube, at
the University of California, Riverside. I highly recommend this text to
anyone interested in the gods, religion, or iconography of ancient
Mesoamerica. There exists no book in English comparable to this one. This
book is concise, yet packed with a plethora of hand-drawn illustrations by
the authors and laden with innumerable useful tidbits of interest to
scholars, lay-men, art historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and
historians. Quite honestly, this book is perfect for anyone needing a quick
but poignant and on-the-mark "dictionary" type reference from two of the
best cutting-edge scholars in ancient Mesoamerican studies today. You will
definitely get your money's worth with this choice - buy it today!
By-the-way, this is an unpaid advertisement; strictly a humble review by a
graduate student who worships the ground Drs. Taube and Miller walk on -
translated, not biased in the least.
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this book now
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A partnership of scholars and thrilling photography, June
21, 1998
Reviewer: Dr. Sandra Buchholz (elegantbee@aol,com) from
New York, USA
This is a truly amazing trip through the minds of the
ancient Maya who wrote in an elegant and complex system. Michael Coe
clarifies and demystifies the beautiful texts on all forms of media;
ceramic, stone, shell etc. But best of all, Justin Kerr's photographs are a
thrilling excursion into the realms of an exotic society. This partnership
of scholars enables the reader to sit back and explore the depths of the
beauty and intellectual achievements of an ancient culture. Frankly, I was
blown away!
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Mayan Clothing and Weaving
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Reviewer: Eileen Berdon (see more about me) from Portland, OR
This is an astonishingly beautiful books of color photographs of Guatemalan
people (and their animals) amidst their traditional woven textiles. The
introduction gives a respectful and knowledgeable overview. Vecchiato: "Mayan
weaving is a celebration of feelings shared in common by an entire ethnic
group." He provides background and a brief description of the harsh political
climate of Mayan Guatemala. The pictures are full of life and joy. Market
scenes; babies, children, parents, old folks; processions; plus tender and
intimate moments - along with the statement that "they will never reveal
themselves completely to any one of us." This is a wonderful book.
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Reviewer: tzute (see more about me) from San Francisco, CA
The Maya of Guatemala is THE classic book on the "traje tipico" (native dress)
of the Mayan Indians of Guatemala. The exquisitely beautiful paintings produced
by Carmen Pettersen over many years constitute the best illustrations ever done
of the Mayan "traje". The sixty colorful full page paintings face parallel texts
in English and Spanish telling about the particular "traje" and the customs of
the Mayan people. Pettersen writes the informative text rather like a diary of
her travels to the various towns so while concentrating on the traje and
traditions we see something of the individuals and the writer. The paintings,
the real point of the book, succeed better than photographs because the detail
of the "traje" is not obscured by light and shadow. While accurately detailing
the "traje," the paintings at the same time are intensely personal portraits of
the individuals. Although there is no book yet which shows the traje of all the
different Mayan towns in Guatemala (and Mexico), this book illustrates more than
any other. It is my book of first reference to find out about the "traje" of a
particular town. If among the many books I have on the Mayan culture I could
keep just one book this book would probably be it.
Carmen Pettersen, born in
Guatemala of an English father and Mexican mother, learned to paint in England.
As a young woman her family moved back to Guatemala where she lived among the
Mayan Indians for the rest of her life. The paintings and the text reveal the
high regard she had for the Mayans. The original gouache paintings now reside in
the Ixchel Museum of Traje in Guatemala City.
Joseph Johnston, Curator, Arte
Maya Tz'utuhil
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In an informative and beautifully illustrated book, Schevill
sets forth copious research that serves to enhance the visual impact of these
Guatemalan textiles located at Berkeley's Hearst Museum. It is both a detailed
anthropological study, which delves into aspects of Mayan culture and examines
historical and sociological forces brought to bear on Mayan communities of
Guatemala, and a catalog of the stunning collections, containing descriptions of
techniques, dying processes, and textile production. Schevill also presents a
fascinating if brief biography of Gustavus Eisen, the Swedish American scientist
whose journeys to Guatemala were supported by Phoebe Hearst. This comprehensive
collection of textiles includes many admirable woven and embroidered objects and
garments of breathtaking design. Alice Joyce
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Scholarly books about Guatemalan textiles are scarce.
Therefore, this is an important contribution. Maya Culture & Costume
documents an important collection of Guatemalan textiles, the collection of
the Taylor Museum, collected during the late 1920's and early 1930's by E.B.
Ricketson, archaeologist and ethnographer. Photographs of the pieces from
the Taylor collection are supplemented by and compared to pieces from other
collections. Because the Ricketson pieces were collected during such a
narrow range of time, the pieces can be dated accurately to stem from 1934
or earlier. Many pieces in other collections cannot be so accurately dated.
This is clearly a strength of the collection and the book. Anyone seriously
interested in Guatemalan textiles should be familiar with this book.
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History, Politics and Society
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For 20 years Guatemala's government has been one of the
most repressive on earth, yet the least acknowledged in the Western
hemisphere. Jean-Marie Simon spent six years in Guatemala and the result is
a beautiful but disturbing book of a civilization violated. More than 130
full-color photographs.
A painful, colorful study........, July 12, 2000
Reviewer: sockscats (see more about me) from Columbia, TN USA
One has to understand the purpose of this amnesty international book. The
sole intent is to demonstrate the deplorable human rights situation in
Guatemala. There is no intent to present a balanced picture. Basically it is
a summarization of Guatemala in the 1980s a terrible decade for that
country. No punches are pulled here, just page after page of horror upon
horror all presented in vivid color. The photography is wonderful and i
can't think of many books about Guatemala with better photos. They capture
the beauty of the land and people and the blatant tragedy at hand.
This book isn't for the squeamish. I first read it as i was preparing to
travel there to study Spanish. This book scared me to death but more than
that it outraged me and i think that was the purpose. Secondly it does
educate at a basic level what has been going on in Guatemala.
A good primer about the human rights atrocities in Guatemala.
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"By telling the stories of real people, Mayas who cling to
their traditional gods, their communal ways and their brilliant woven
clothing, Perera has selected the most effective means of conveying the
astonishing resilience of Mayan culture. --This text refers to the Hardcover
edition.
The New Yorker
"Perera finds that military terrorism has outlasted the Communist threat;
murder and massacre have become the reflexive response to any disagreement,
public or private."
Victor Perera is a native Guatemalan who took the better part of 6 years to
write this book. This book is chock full of great information gathered from
hundreds of interviews. Perera doesn't waste time trying to interpret the
events he writes about, instead he let's the participants and witnesses
speak for themselves. He interviews everybody for this book from wealthy
landowners, government officials, military personnel, catholic and
evangelical clergy and mostly the Mayan people who have suffered from 30
years of civil war. He then fills in the cracks with historical background.
His writing is very precise and specific, his descriptions paint a very
vivid picture of the oppression and genocide that continues to take place.
The book begins with his visits to the garbage dump slums of Guatemala city
and proceeds to other hot spots of violence. The core of the book is those
chapters about the ixil triangle area where as many as one third of the
local Mayan population was killed, disappeared or forced to flee the
country.
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--Throwing light on the company for which the term Banana
Republic was coined, profiles the personalities and their US and Guatemalan
bedfellows, the concessions and payoffs, the strikes and battles, and other
aspects. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Unique research & analysis, insightful for learned reader, February 11,
1998
--"Doing Business" covers some of the behind the scenes maneuvering and
personality conflicts typical of early 20th century Central American
republics. It sheds light on the motivation of the men behind the UFC and
the railroads in detail not usually seen in books dealing with this subject.
Too many other books have been written about Central American politics,
especially with regard to the United Fruit Company, which focus solely on
classical political analysis. This work must be used when studying this era
in Central American history, to gain a full picture of the events. It would
be nice to see more research like that of "Doing Business", political
inclinations aside.
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From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Jesse Larsen
"This is my testimony. I didn't learn it from a book and I didn't learn it
alone... My personal experience is the reality of a whole people." Born in
the mountains of Guatemala into the Quiche, one of twenty-three mestizo
groups, Rigoberta Menchu tells her story. The Quiche people's spirituality,
much of which must not be told to outsiders, affirms community
responsibility for village children and intensely personal relationships
with the land and the natural world. The celebration of her ancient culture
is all that strengthens in the face of a brutally repressed and
poverty-stricken existence. Two of her brothers die as infants from
malnutrition. When the Quiche begin their fight to keep the government and
big-business people from stealing any more of their land, her family is
forced to watch her youngest brother be tortured and burned alive; later her
mother is tortured to death, and her father murdered. Obligated by
circumstance and unquestionable responsibility to her people, Rigoberta
Menchu assumes the role of organizer/leader. These interviews - conducted in
Spanish, a language she has spoken for only three years - center on her role
as a Quiche woman. Her politics are deeply personal: "They've killed the
people dearest to me... Therefore, my commitment to our struggle knows no
boundaries nor limits." Despite the layered nature of her written story -
from oral history to transcriber to translator - Rigoberta Menchu's
unadorned and selfless words ring like a clear and beautiful bell sounding
both wonder and warning.
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Anonymous Guatemalan military officer during his
interrogation of Jennifer Harbury :
"A very dangerous book."
Book Description
From the Woman Who Blew the Lid Off the CIA--The Book Jennifer Harbury Wrote
When She Met Her Husband.
After carrying out multiple hunger strikes, in 1995 Jennifer Harbury forced
the CIA to reveal that one of its paid agents had murdered her husband,
Efrain Bamaca Velasquez, whose nom de guerre, Comandante Everardo, has
become a symbol of freedom in Guatemala. In Senate Intelligence Committee
hearings the CIA admitted to covering up its role in his death, and
misleading Congress by "sweeping it under the rug."
Why would the CIA want these people dead? And what about these people so
touched her heart that she would risk her life to help them? Through the
guerrillas's' stories of unparalleled heroism, bravery and commitment,
BRIDGE OF COURAGE throws an extraordinary light on the human spirit.
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Over the latter half of the twentieth century, the
Guatemalan state slaughtered more than two hundred thousand of its citizens.
In the wake of this violence, a vibrant pan-Mayan movement has emerged, one
that is challenging Ladino (non-indigenous) notions of citizenship and
national identity. In The Blood of Guatemala Greg Grandin locates the
origins of this ethnic resurgence within the social processes of eighteenth-
and nineteenth-century state formation rather than in the ruins of the
national project of recent decades.
Focusing on Mayan elites in the community of Quetzaltenango, Grandin shows
how their efforts to maintain authority over the indigenous population and
secure political power in relation to non-Indians played a crucial role in
the formation of the Guatemalan nation. To explore the close connection
between nationalism, state power, ethnic identity, and political violence,
Grandin draws on sources as diverse as photographs, public rituals, oral
testimony, literature, and a collection of previously untapped documents
written during the nineteenth century. He explains how the cultural anxiety
brought about by Guatemala's transition to coffee capitalism during this
period led Mayan patriarchs to develop understandings of race and nation
that were contrary to Ladino notions of assimilation and progress. This
alternative national vision, however, could not take hold in a country
plagued by class and ethnic divisions. In the years prior to the 1954 coup,
class conflict became impossible! e to contain as the elites violently
opposed land claims made by indigenous peasants.
This "history of power" reconsiders the way scholars understand the history
of Guatemala and will be relevant to those studying nation building and
indigenous communities across Latin America.
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Bitter Fruit recounts in telling detail the CIA operation to
overthrow the democratically elected government of Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in
1954. The 1982 book has become a classic, a textbook case study of Cold War
meddling that succeeded only to condemn Guatemala to decades of military
dictatorship. The authors make extensive use of U.S. government publications and
documents, as well as interviews with former CIA and other officials. The
Harvard edition includes a powerful new introduction by historian John
Coatsworth, Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies;
an insightful prologue by Richard Nuccio, former State Department official who
revealed recent evidence of CIA misconduct in Guatemala to Congress; and a
compelling afterward by coauthor Stephen Kinzer, now Istanbul bureau chief for
the New York Times, summarizing developments that led from the 1954 coup to the
peace accords that ended Guatemala's civil strife forty years later.
From the Publisher
With an introduction by Harrison Salisbury and a new foreword for the 1990
edition, the authors have written a history which reads like a thriller,
detailing the dirty tricks, the manipulation of public opinion, and the corrupt
foreign policy which characterized U.S. involvement in Guatemala. They show that
this covert action became a blueprint for later incursions by the U.S. into
Central America.
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Important and brilliant analysis, April 18, 2000
Reviewer: Alberto Fernandez from Amman, Jordan
Victor Montejo's latest book is an important and brilliant analysis of
recent Mayan history by one of the Mayan people's most significant scholars.
It is especially important because this is an Indigenous voice speaking
about Mayan history rather than the however well-intentioned and scholarly
rigorous recent work of non-Mayan Americans like Drs. Nelson and Warren.
Montejo, a Popti Mayan from Jakaltenango in Guatemala's Western highlands,
was both an eyewitness to much recent Mayan history as well as a US-trained
academic.
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Tourist and Specific Guidebooks
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A classic and a must-have for the Guatemala traveler.
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Whether you're packing your snorkel to explore Palancar
Reef (the second-longest barrier reef in the world), stocking extra film to
explore the Toltec-Maya roots of Chichén ItzE or toting your hiking boots
to the volcanoes of Guatemala, this practical guide will help you get where
you want to go. It features more than 100 maps; useful cultural, biological,
and geographical footnotes; places to stay and eat for any budget; overviews
of the major Mayan archaeological sites; and a handy glossary of Spanish and
Mayan terms. This book also covers Chiapas, Tobasco, and the incredible
ruins of Copán in Honduras. --Kathryn True
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Guatemala is the most "Indian" of Central American
nations, and Mayan culture permeates many aspects of language, dress and
artistic expression. "Guatemala in Focus" is an authoritative and up-to-date
guide to this wonderful country. It explores the land, history and politics,
economy, society and people, culture and includes tips on where to go and
what to see. Photos and maps.
great overview of Guatemala's history and culture, February 1, 2000
Reviewer: A reader from Falls Church, VA
This title offers an easily readable introduction to Guatemala. It is great
for the first-time traveler to Guatemala who wants to understand the modern
country in the context of its history and culture. It explains the current
status of Guatemala and its uneasy balance between the remaining Mayan
culture and the ladinos. The book is a quick and enjoyable read--truly a
great orientation. It also points out how the intrusion of the U.S. CIA
interrupted Guatemala's transition toward agrarian reform--an eye opener for
me, anyway. Read and learn!
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The Best Guide for Guatemala, August 8, 2000
Reviewer: A reader from Pittsburgh, PA USA
This is my personal favorite. We used it a lot on our trip through the
Western Highlands and Tikal. It has good maps, from city to national scale.
It has something of interest to say about many places, including small
villages. It presents lodgings in a logical manner. I found it easy to use.
This guide gave us a pretty good overview of places, although it appears
that unlike in many very-studied/touristy places (such as Europe) there is
not as much deep background available on many towns. Of all the guide books
I have used for Guatemala this has the most breadth and depth, coupled with
ease of use.
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Adventures in Guatemala
| The colonial charm of Antigua is well-known to travelers, yet the true beauty
of the country lies tucked away in the highlands. Mayan communities retain their
traditions, languages, and culture, and the vivid panoply of colors and designs
in their clothing will leave you in awe. Our documentaries, photos and travel
tips are all
you need to discover Guatemala by yourself. |
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