Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars (Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) [Paperback]

Susan Milbrath (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0292752261 | ISBN-13: 978-0292752269 | Publication Date: 2000

Observations of the sun, moon, planets, and stars played a central role in ancient Maya lifeways, as they do today among contemporary Maya who maintain the traditional ways. This pathfinding book reconstructs ancient Maya astronomy and cosmology through the astronomical information encoded in Precolumbian Maya art and confirmed by the current practices of living Maya peoples. Susan Milbrath opens the book with a discussion of modern Maya beliefs about astronomy, along with essential information on naked-eye observation. She devotes subsequent chapters to Precolumbian astronomical imagery, which she traces back through time, starting from the Colonial and Postclassic eras. She delves into many aspects of the Maya astronomical images, including the major astronomical gods and their associated glyphs, astronomical almanacs in the Maya codices [painted books], and changes in the imagery of the heavens over time. This investigation yields new data and a new synthesis of information about the specific astronomical events and cycles recorded in Maya art and architecture. Indeed, it constitutes the first major study of the relationship between art and astronomy in ancient Maya culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is destined to become a standard reference work on Maya archaeoastronomy... [It provides] a basic, sound, and utterly comprehensive introduction to the subject of ancient Maya astronomy." --Andrea Stone, Professor of Art History, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Review

This book is destined to become a standard reference work on Maya archaeoastronomy.... [It provides] a basic, sound, and utterly comprehensive introduction to the subject of ancient Maya astronomy. (Andrea Stone, Professor of Art History, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee )

Product Details

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292752261
• ISBN-13: 978-0292752269
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for Star Gods, April 23, 2000

By 

Margaret Arvey (U.S.A) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars (Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) (Paperback)

Star Gods of the Maya is one of the best works on Precolumbian religion to be produced in recent years. It presents material about the astronomical interests of the ancient Maya in a manner which is accessible to the amateur but sufficiently well-documented to satisfy the specialist. Well organized and user friendly, it will probably become the desk reference of choice on this subject.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art historian's master work, July 11, 2000

By 

Wendy Gimbel (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars (The Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) (Hardcover)

In her brilliant, beautifully researched book, Susan Milbrath uses her extensive knowledge of Mayan art to recreate the structure of the Maya's astronomy and cosmology and, even more importantly, to celebrate their mysterious beauty. Star Gods is a splendid book written by an amazing art historian at the peak of her powers.

5.0 out of 5 stars First-Rate Study of Mayan Astronomy, January 17, 2012

By 

Neodoering - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars (Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) (Paperback)

Susan Milbrath has created a powerful and fascinating review of the astronomy and cosmology of the ancient Maya and their ties to Mayan art, literature, and religion. The book starts with a look at modern Mayan astronomy and beliefs about the heavens and the movements of its bodies and then proceeds to detail the archaeological and art history record of Mayan astronomy as recorded in various works of art and written sources such as the surviving Mayan codices. She introduces ideas about the Mayan zodiac and the animals associated with it, discusses Mayan thoughts on the Milky Way, brings up Venus beliefs and concepts around other heavenly bodies and discusses ties between Mayan myths and cosmology. The hieroglyph symbols used for astronomy are given and discussed, and there are discussions of Mayan gods and their ties to the heavens. This book is both broad and deep in its scholarship and is well annotated so you can find further information on the topic if you're interested. This book is more than a decade old now but is still a valuable resource on Mayan cosmology that is a foundation for other work in its field. It is quite readable and easy to understand despite its technical nature and mixes insights in many sub-disciplines of Mayan studies into a very rich stew of information that should long have a place on your shelves.