Mesoamerica's Ancient Cities

Frontis. (in color) + xiv + 251 pp. with 324 illus. in color, 4to.

The 51 reconstructed archaeological sites pictured here in 328 aerial and ground photographs (270 in color) include well-known ruins such as Monte Alban, Teotihuacan, and Chichen Itza, and numerous other dramatic, though littlepublicized, sites. The accompanying text, popular yet authoritative, successfully puts the sites in context. This volume is more comprehensive than Ferguson and coauthors Arthur H. Rohn and John Q. Royce's two previous books (Maya Ruins of Mexico in Color, 1984; Maya Ruins in Central America, 1977) and should provide a useful companion to Jeremy Sabloff's Cities of Ancient Mexico (LJ 2/1/89). The photo selections of architecture and site plans give a superb cross-section of each ruin--almost as good as being there. This book has a broad appeal that should attract general and specialist readers alike. See also Linda Schele and David Freidel's A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya, reviewed in this issue, p. 124.--Ed. BOMC and Macmillan Natural Science Book Club selections.
- Wil liam S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.