Mystery of the Maya: The Golden Age of the Classic Maya

The remarkable echievements of the Maya equal those of the Egyptians, the Chinese, and the Greeks. This culture, which began evolving over 4,000 years ago, developed into highly structured kingdoms during the Classic period, A.D. 250-900. Their complex society consisted of many independent states, each with a rural farming community and large urban sites built around civic centres with plazas, temples, and monuments. The Maya perfected a writing system that recorded their beliefs and historical events, used sophisticated mathematics for their calendars and astronomy, and built massive structures strategically pla ed to reflect their sense of cosmic order. Summarizing the work of archaeologists, linguist, and contemporary Maya, this illustrated book gives a lively account of the evolution of Maya civilization.