Place of Mirrors: Lessons of the Ancient Maya [Hardcover]

Jeeni Criscenzo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1996

New York advertising executive, Christina Rossi, is in the throws of professional and emotional burn-out when a past life regression seems to indicate her problems stem from a former life as a Mayan ruler. The revelation sparks an obsession to learn more about the mysterious Maya and she travels to Mexico with her teenage daughter, in search of answers. There, the fragrance from a mysterious pouch of herbs takes Christina back to the time of Pacal, the famous ruler of a Maya territory known today as Palenque. Never before have the people of this civilization been portrayed with such compelling insight, affording a fascinating look into the life and times of one of the great leaders of this fabled civilization. Place of Mirrors reveals parallels between the ill-fated Maya civilizations and our own troubled world. Solidly researched background and a sensitive insight into the timeless of what makes us human, makes for a fascinating, thought-provoking tale.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For the reader who likes to have it all in a novel -- fiction, history, adventure, human drama, intrigue and true archaeological revelations mixed in with a great narrative --Place of Mirrors won't disappoint you. Christina Rossi leaves her troubled life behind to travel through Mexico to the lost Mayan civilization in hopes of uncovering clues about her own past life. The text contains the latest actual breakthroughs on deciphering Mayan glyphs-including warnings about an impending change when the Great Cycle of Time ends in the year 2012. The glyphs also show a parallel between the Mayan civilization's collapse and similar patterns into which our own world is falling.

From Publishers Weekly

One unfortunate side effect of the commercial success of James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy is the raft of similar but inferior titles that lack the dramatic momentum that made Redfield's yarn so engaging. Criscenzo's first novel, a wide-eyed exploration of the Mayan legacy, begins when down-and-out New York freelance writer Christina Rossi agrees to be hypnotized by a mysterious client. While in a trance, Christina recalls a past-life Mayan experience that has such a powerful effect on her that she journeys to Mexico with her pre-adolescent daughter, Kit, to try to discover the ancient cause of her modern discontent. While on a tour of the ruins at Palenque, Christina takes a strange potion and is transported back 1400 years, assuming her ancient identity of Hanab Pacal, a young Mayan ruler struggling to appease the gods and ensure the continuity of his royal legacy. Criscenzo introduces so many characters and gods that Pacal's story is virtually incomprehensible. After returning to the present, Christina tries to apply the lessons of her Mayan experience to her current romantic predicament with Jose, the tour guide she thinks may be connected to her Mayan past. The appalling lack of coherence in this New Age daydream makes for flat fantasy and an extremely shallow learning experience.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 291 pages
• Publisher: Jeeni Criscenzo; 1st edition (July 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096523181X
• ISBN-13: 978-0965231817
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you liked "Aztec," you'll like Place of Mirrors, October 15, 1999

By 

Conrado Hinojosa (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Place of Mirrors: Lessons of the Ancient Maya (Hardcover)

I have been reading mostly non-fiction books about the Maya for years. Although, what first got me inspired was reading Gary Jennings' Aztec, also an historical novel. Place of Mirrors has a similar quality...full of well-researched insights into the ancient Maya, but clothed in a story that makes very interesting reading. If you like good stories and are at all curious about the Maya...check it out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to your Dreams!, September 7, 2000

By 

Timmi Jo Forbes (Seattle, WA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Place of Mirrors: Lessons of the Ancient Maya (Hardcover)

The Place of Mirrors is a compelling story of Pacal, a Mayan ruler during the height of the ancient Maya civilization. It is told as the dreams of a woman eerily haunted unfinished business from the past. She is compelled to visit the places she dreams and gets answers to her present life and a conclusion to the past life she has dreamed. This fascinating story is based on solid research and an understanding of the ancient and modern Maya. My only complaint, was that it was too short! It is hard to put down once you begin reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - Loved Reading It, September 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Place of Mirrors: Lessons of the Ancient Maya (Hardcover)

I thought the book was terrific. I love reading about history when it's 'cloaked' in a story. And the story itself was a lot of fun. I was lost in ancient Mexico and culture. I highly recommend it and have already passed it on to friends.