Mystery of the Ancient Maya, The: Revised edition [Hardcover]

Carolyn Meyer (Author), Charles Gallenkamp (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up

A revised edition of a fact-filled introduction to the world of the Maya and their mysterious ancient civilization incorporates all of the latest information that has been discovered about the Maya--their art, writings, religion, and culture--in recent years.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-This revised edition (McElderry, 1985) provides updated interpretations of the Mayan written language and images used in their art, as well as insights into their social structure. In addition to introducing the everyday life of the Mayas, the authors have traced the early explorations and studies of this ancient culture, from the adventures of John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood in 1839 to contemporary archaeological expeditions conducted by Mexico and the U.S. A look at advances made in the study of language and mathematics and eventual decodings not only points out a progression of discoveries that led to these conclusions, but also provides insight into misconceptions and political forces that influenced theories over the years. Text varies from entertaining, Indiana Jones-style descriptions of early explorations to succinct, well-written presentations of history and culture. Informative black-and-white photographs, reproductions, maps, charts, and diagrams provide needed breaks in the lengthy text. However, the book's overall appearance is bland. This title offers a more detailed history of the Mayas and recent archaeological studies than Victoria Sherrow's The Maya Indians (Chelsea, 1993) and Pamela Odijk's The Mayas (Silver Burdett, 1990).
Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukee, OR
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; Revised edition (May 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689506198
• ISBN-13: 978-0689506192
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,453,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My first book, MISS PATCH'S LEARN-TO-SEW BOOK, published more than forty years ago, was intended to teach young girls how to knot thread, make a neat stitch, and sew simple items. The main character of my next book, CLEOPATRA CONFESSES, coming in June 2011, is a far cry from the roundish, gray-haired lady with a needle in her hand and spectacles on her nose. Since the thrill of seeing that first book in print, I've written over fifty more books, non-fiction and novels (most recently, historical fiction). In the process I've learned more about writing and a lot about history, a subject that was not my favorite when I was a young student but has become my passion--a passion I love to share with readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mayan history clearly and captivatingly written, February 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mystery of the Ancient Maya, The: Revised edition (Hardcover)

to prepare our family (pre-teen and teenage children) for a trip to central america, we began to read aloud this book at dinner. it describes the adventures of early explorers and colonists and the mayan culture as a storyteller might. it's a wonderful resource "to set the stage", to spark the imagination and curiosity for knowing more about this civilization. it incorporates information from recent research and successfully imparts this to young adult readers without a lot of scientific googly-goo but sufficient scholarly material. this book is a gem - it never talks "down" to the reader; in fact, it's almost as if you are invited to share in the enthusiasm and appreciation felt by these authors for the maya.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro for the layman, November 30, 2003

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystery of the Ancient Maya, The: Revised edition (Hardcover)

This readable book contains two tales - the story of the discovery and exploration of the Mayan Empire and the story of the Mayans themselves. The first detailed investigation of the vanished empire began in the early 19th century and has continued unabated. The same questions are still asked today - where did they come from, how and more important, why did they settle in such inhospitable land, Why did they abandon their cities?

First, there is a discussion of theories suggesting a link between the old and new world. This is rejected...Egypt did not influence the Mayans - all ancient cultures built pyramidal structures due to their ease of construction. Like other early kingdoms, it was both a political and religious entity - a theocracy that became more elitist and authoritarian as time passed Mayans excelled in many area but surprisingly, not the practical ones. Their mathematics and time calculations were phenomenal, the art sophisticated, their astronomy advanced and the various theologies complex. But they did not make tools to chop trees, till the soil, plant or harvest crops.

The empire passed through several phases then the people disappeared, the cities were abandoned. Among the many theories that have been proposed, the author concluded upon the most likely - a long-time revolt by the peasants against the priestly class. Why would illiterate natives be impressed with great strides in astronomy, mathematics or time forecasting? There is also the matter of the evolution of the religion to demand more and more sacrifices. The exploration of the Well of Sacrifice in Chichen Itza revealed literally thousands of corpses slain to satisfy the blood-thirsty gods. At some point the lower classes revolted and the cities were emptied one by one. Alas, we shall probably never know for sure. This is a great book for the amateur, not at all technical, a very good introduction to the Mayans.