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Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path [Paperback]

David Freidel , Linda Schele , Joy Parker
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

February 27, 1995

A Masterful blend of archaeology, anthropology, astronomy, and lively personal reportage, Maya Comos tells a constellation of stories, from the historical to the mythological, and envokes the awesome power of one of the richest civilizations ever to grace the earth.


Frequently Bought Together

Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path + Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of The Mayan Book of The Dawn of Life and The Glories of Gods and Kings + The Maya (Seventh Edition)  (Ancient Peoples and Places)
Price for all three: $39.72

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this highly original and politically provocative synthesis, archaeologist Freidel and epigrapher Linda Schele team up with Joy Parker, a popular writer, in an attempt to bridge history and prehistory in the Yucatan peninsula of Guatemala and Mexico. Their device is to apply shamanistic belief and practice among modern Maya to interpretations of hieroglyphics and other archaeological remains. In this captivating thesis, foreshadowed in Dennis Tedlock's Popol Vuh ( LJ 1/85) and their own A Forest of Kings (Morrow, 1990), they argue that the world view of the prehistoric Maya lives on in the language and beliefs of the survivors of the Spanish conquest. While at once compelling and controversial, this book will appeal to everyone interested in the Maya and non-Western religion.
- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This is pure pleasure to read--an extraordinary contribution to academic knowledge written like a well-paced novel. Linda Schele, whose Blood of Kings (1986) and earlier collaboration with Freidel, A Forest of Kings (1990), are both well-regarded books on the Maya, goes deeper into the Mayan gestalt in this second collaboration with him and first with new partner Joy Parker. The subject is Mayan cosmology, and interweaving archaeology and anthropology with personal experience, the three authors examine the major religious concepts of the Maya and how those concepts found expression in religious architecture and myth. The Maya, they reveal, were not destroyed by the Spanish invaders. Their religion continues, sometimes under the guise of Christianity, sometimes in folk custom, sometimes in ancient rituals still practiced among the descendants of one of America's premier civilizations--rites informed by the concepts the authors present. The creation myth, the ritual ball games, the pyramidal world-tree--these are examined and fleshed out so substantively that the reader feels truly immersed in Mayan reality. Pat Monaghan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (February 27, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0688140696
  • ISBN-13: 978-0688140694
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.5 x 10 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(10)
4.8 out of 5 stars
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The book cover shows Pakal,the king of Palenque. BookReview  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
I found this book to be very informative and interesting. D. Heilman  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
My personal awareness is one window through which the Creator experiences the world. Henry Reed  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
68 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
As a person who has traveled in places where the modern Maya live--Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico--and who has taken the trouble to get to know what the history and culture of these admirable people is really like, I have always been appalled at the number of books that claim to be about "Maya shamanism," but are really just New Age claptrap. While it is true that MAYA COSMOS does not read like a mass-market paperback, it is one of the most heartfelt, well-researched, and stunning books on the Maya that I have ever read. If you want the REAL story on who the Maya are and how their spiritual and cultural beliefs have evolved over the last 5,000 years, this is the book for you. Yes, there is some scientific data and research here, but I would rather a thousand times read that than the silly cultural misinformation written by dozens of New Age authors who project their own interpretations onto the art and the cities without even being able to read the very texts they are claiming to understand. The late Linda Schele was one of the five major figures who was responsible for cracking the code of the Maya language. As an art historian, she was well versed in the complex and fascinating symbolism of Maya culture. David Freidel has been a brilliant Maya archaeologist for over 25 years, and first became involved with the culture because of his interest in shamanism. Joy Parker, who, by the way, was the ghost-co-author of A FOREST OF KINGS (check out the Acknowledgements and the Forward where her work is credited) has spent over a dozen years working with the modern Maya (most recently, as an editor of Maya shaman Martin Prechtel's SECRETS OF THE TALKING JAGUAR and LONG LIFE, HONEY IN THE HEART) and with other indigenous cultures such as the North Native Americans (check out her book WOMAN WHO GLOWS IN THE DARK) and African cultures, so she brings a special personal interest and flair to this project. The first-person stories told in this book are priceless. I spent as many pleasurable hours reading it as I did the authors' first effort A FOREST OF KINGS. If you truly want to learn about the history of the Maya, the tragedy of the Spanish conquest, and how the modern Maya find the strength to endure, this is the book for you.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Archeoastronomy of the Maya July 21, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The authors present Mayan archeoastronomy in a very readable and absorbable form. Compare the astronomy/astrology/ myths and stories of the Maya to other cultures of which you are aware, and you will see that this book presents a valuable contribution to world archeoastonomy.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best serious book about ancient Maya September 7, 2009
Format:Paperback
As an amateur interested in ancient Maya who has studied the subject for many years (and traveled extensively to Maya sites in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, & Honduras) I can say without hesitation this is the best book available for anyone seriously interested in understanding the unique mind and culture of the Maya. Linda Schele had a depth of understanding for the Maya that surpasses that of all other scholars in the field today. She tragically died young in 1998 but thankfully was able to complete this fantastic book. It's probably not the best book for a beginner, but if you already know a little about the Maya and you want to take your understanding to the next level, read this classic book. (If you are a beginner, you might try one of Schele's other wonderful books, Forest of Kings.)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A BOOK THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES.
As above so below.This book is outstanding in every way.I will quote:"What is important is that the classic period Maya conceived time on so grand a cyclic scale. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BookReview
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and fascinating, this book provides a fresh perspective on...
David Friedel, Linda Schele, and Joy Parker take us on a fascinating, and almost spiritual journey as they share their voices and experiences on sacred practices and mythology of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Paulo Ramos
5.0 out of 5 stars Praise Creation!
Mayan Cosmos Mirrors Your Creation

I dream of an older woman. She is holding a ball of clay in her hands, pressing and molding it with her fingers. Read more
Published on April 21, 2007 by Henry Reed
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read for amateur and scholar!
I found this book to be very informative and interesting. Speaking strictly as an amateur Mayanist, with no college level education, the book captured my interest, and opened my... Read more
Published on February 18, 2007 by D. Heilman
3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Beginner
I have to admit I didn't get more than halfway through this one - no way is this written for inquiring minds who aren't already versed in Mayan lore. Read more
Published on May 10, 2000 by C. Sahu
5.0 out of 5 stars Maya Cosmos is essential to archeo-astronomy
The foundation of Maya Cosmos is the re-discovery of the Mayan creation myth in hieroglyphs, art, and modern Mayan daily ceremonial ritual. Read more
Published on March 21, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique look inside the Mayan Mind
Mayan Cosmos Mirrors Your Creation

I dream of an older woman. She is holding a ball of clay in her hands, pressing and molding it with her fingers. Read more
Published on May 10, 1997
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