The Mayan Prophecies : Unlocking the Secrets of a Lost Civilization (Paperback)

by Adrian Gilbert (Author), Maurice Cotterell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Who were the Maya? How were these ancient astronomers able to precisely measure time over thousands of years? What happened to the Mayan civilization? Gilbert and Cotterell, both scientists and writers, unlock the mysteriesof the May a, explore their beliefs, and reveal their accomplishments in this international bestseller--now in paperback. of color plates. Illustrations & charts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 337 pages
• Publisher: Element Books Ltd (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852309067
• ISBN-13: 978-1852309060
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #181,698 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Books > Science > Archaeology > Native American
  #73 in	Books > History > Ancient > Mayan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mayan prophecies, January 25, 2001

By	Andyrew (Beaver, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Starting off I knew nothing of native Central Americans. This book has taught me a lot about the Mayans, Aztecs, Olmecs, and Toltecs. If you have an interest in this subject, I say give the book a try.

The main focus of the book is a prophecy the Mayans made about a worldwide catastrophe that is supposed to come about in 2012, what their basis for this prediction is, and if there's any scientific knowledge to back this prediction up. You may not be a person into end of days predictions, but the book still offers a lot of knowledge about many different aspects of Central America. The book covers things such as how Central American knowledge and beliefs could be tied to the lost continent of Atlantis (why some people think Atlantis existed), how the Aztec and Mayan calendars work, what gods they worshiped, what events they celebrated and feared, their accurate astronomy, ties they could have to Europe, one of the reasons they may have declined, a possibility as to why the serpent is so prevalent in their culture, how the Central American rattlesnake cult could have come about, how sunspot cycles affected the Mayans, how and why sunspots are tied to the Mayan prophecy. Another aspect of the book I liked is the author's willingness to take a serious look a little known archeological theories presented by people that do not have a big name is the field.

The one annoying thing I found in this book is how the authors used this book to point out how some authorities refuse to believe them, or even listen to them. That certain museums and magazines may not be totally scientific and concern themselves only with mainstream ideas that are satisfying to the establishment. Another thing you have to keep in mind is that a lot of this book in theoretical, and thought the ideas may make sense, they may not be reality.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WELL WRITTEN, BEAUTIFUL BOOK, September 4, 2000

By	Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Mayan Prophecies: Unlocking the Secrets of a Lost Civilization (Hardcover)

This well written, very readable book is the most compelling I have read on the mythology, religion and what is known of the history of the Maya. I'm not much into mathematics or arithmetic but found the ideas very interesting, especially as related to nature (the cross motif from the skin of the rattlesnake and the sun-spot cycles). Not everything here is new, Von Daniken already popularised some of these concepts two decades ago - but it is cohesively presented in the right context with a wealth of figures, maps, and the most beautiful colour plates. It makes a worthy contribution to the terrain that Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval etc, are bringing to light. Extensive appendices, a glossary, bibliography and index ensure this will remain a valuable reference work for years to come. As for 2012, I don't believe in scaremongering (many books claimed that Nostradamus predicted a world war for 1999) so I am content to believe that date will signal a change (improvement) in consciousness.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opening preview of the world to come..., October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mayan Prophecies: Unlocking the Secrets of a Lost Civilization (Hardcover)

If anyone is interested in furthering their knowledge in the ancient Maya, this book cannot be ignored. Ripping apart past archaeological theories, Cotterel and Gilbert pave the way for a new way of explaining human history. The book makes the reader want to fly to Mexico as fast as possible, and dive into the mysterious sights and riddles of the Pre-Columbian civilizations. This book must be read...