Download or read book Yaxchilan written by Carolyn E. Tate and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2013-08-28 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As archaeologists peel away the jungle covering that has both obscured and preserved the ancient Maya cities of Mexico and Central America, other scholars have only a limited time to study and understand the sites before the jungle, weather, and human encroachment efface them again, perhaps forever. This urgency underlies Yaxchilan: The Design of a Maya Ceremonial City, Carolyn Tate's comprehensive catalog and analysis of all the city's extant buildings and sculptures. During a year of field work, Tate fully documented the appearance of the site as of 1987. For each sculpture and building, she records its discovery, present location, condition, measurements, and astronomical orientation and reconstructs its Long Counts and Julian dates from Calendar Rounds. Line drawings and photographs provide a visual document of the art and architecture of Yaxchilan. More than mere documentation, however, the book explores the phenomenon of art within Maya society. Tate establishes a general framework of cultural practices, spiritual beliefs, and knowledge likely to have been shared by eighth-century Maya people. The process of making public art is considered in relation to other modes of aesthetic expression, such as oral tradition and ritual. This kind of analysis is new in Maya studies and offers fresh insight into the function of these magnificent cities and the powerful role public art and architecture play in establishing cultural norms, in education in a semiliterate society, and in developing the personal and community identities of individuals. Several chapters cover the specifics of art and iconography at Yaxchilan as a basis for examining the creation of the city in the Late Classic period. Individual sculptures are attributed to the hands of single artists and workshops, thus aiding in dating several of the monuments. The significance of headdresses, backracks, and other costume elements seen on monuments is tied to specific rituals and fashions, and influence from other sites is traced. These analyses lead to a history of the design of the city under the reigns of Shield Jaguar (A.D. 681-741) and Bird Jaguar IV (A.D. 752-772). In Tate's view, Yaxchilan and other Maya cities were designed as both a theater for ritual activities and a nexus of public art and social structures that were crucial in defining the self within Maya society.
Download or read book The Ancient Maya 6th Edition written by Robert J. Sharer and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 986 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rich findings of recent exploration and research are incorporated in this completely revised and greatly expanded sixth edition of this standard work on the Maya people. New field discoveries, new technical advances, new successes in the decipherment of Maya writing, and new theoretical perspectives on the Maya past have made this new edition necessary.
Download or read book The Sculpture of Yaxchilan written by Peter Mathews and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Ancient Maya written by Sylvanus Griswold Morley and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 940 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Comprehensive synthesis of ancient Maya scholarship. Extensive summary of the archaeology of the Maya world provides the historical context for a detailed topical synthesis of chronological and geographic variability within the Maya cultural tradition"--
Download or read book Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions written by Ian Graham and published by Peabody Museum of Archaeology &. This book was released on 1975 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of the Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions is to document in photographs and detailed line drawings all known Maya inscriptions and their associated figurative art. When complete, the Corpus will have published the inscriptions from over 200 sites and 2,000 monuments. The series has been instrumental in the remarkable success of the ongoing process of deciphering Maya writing, making available hundreds of texts to epigraphers working around the world. Volume 1 includes a Spanish translation of the Introduction text and six appendices: sources of sculpture and their codes; list of abbreviations and symbols used in the Corpus series; table of tun-endings between 8.1.15.0.0 and 10.9.3.0.0; a complete Calendar Round in tabular form, giving the position of tun-endings between 8.1.15.0.0 and 10.9.3.0.0; a method for the quick computation of Calendar Round position, by John S. Justeson; and Moon Age tables, by Lawrence Roys.
Download or read book Emblem and State in the Classic Maya Lowlands written by Joyce Marcus and published by Dumbarton Oaks. This book was released on 1976 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joyce Marcus reconstructs Classic Maya political organization through the use of evidence derived from epigraphy, settlement pattern surveys, and locational analysis. This study describes the development of a four-tiered settlement hierarchy and its subsequent collapse.
Download or read book The World of the Ancient Maya written by John S. Henderson and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theirs was one of the few complex societies to emerge in and to adapt successfully to a tropical-forest environment. Their architecture, sculpture, and painting were sophisticated and compellingly beautiful.
Download or read book Royal Courts Of The Ancient Maya written by Takeshi Inomata and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides theory, comparison, and synthesis to establish a carefully considered framework for approaching the study of courts and their functions throughout the world of the ancient Maya. It is based on the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
Download or read book The Bioarchaeology of Space and Place written by Gabriel D. Wrobel and published by Springer Science & Business. This book was released on 2014-04-16 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bioarchaeology of Space and Place investigates variations in social identity among the ancient Maya by focusing on individuals and small groups identified archaeologically by their inclusion in specific, discrete mortuary contexts or by unusual mortuary treatments. Utilizing archaeological, biological and taphonomic data from these contexts, the studies employ a variety of methodological approaches to reconstruct aspects of individuals’ life-course and mortuary pathways. Following this, specific mortuary behaviors are discussed in relation to their local or regional cultural setting using relevant archaeological, ethnohistoric, and/or ethnographic data in an effort to interpret their meaning within the broader social, political and economic contexts in which they were carried out. This volume covers a number of topics that are currently being debated in Maya archaeology, including identification and discussion of the role and extent of human sacrifice in Maya culture, the use of ancestors for maintaining political power, the mortuary use of caves by both elites and non-elites, ethnic distinctions within urban areas and the extent of movement of people between communities. Importantly, the papers in this volume attempt to test and move beyond static, dichotic categories that are often employed in mortuary studies in an effort to better understand the complex ways in which the Maya conceptualized and manipulated social identity. This type of nuanced case-study approach that incorporates historical, archaeological and theoretical contextualization is becoming increasingly important in the field of bioarchaeology, providing valuable sources of data where small, diverse samples impede populational approaches.
Download or read book Mesoamerica s Ancient Cities written by William M. Ferguson and published by UNM Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William Ferguson's classic photographic portrayal of the major pre-Columbian ruins of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras is now available from UNM Press in a completely revised edition. Magnificent aerial and ground photographs give both armchair and actual visitors unparalleled views of fifty-one ancient cities. The restored areas of each site and their interesting and exotic features are shown within each group of ruins. The authors have thoroughly revised the text for this new edition, and they have added over 30 new photographs and illustrations as well as a completely new chapter by Richard E. W. Adams on regional states and empires in ancient Mesoamerica. Over a span of three thousand years between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 1500 great civilizations, including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, Zapotec, and Aztec, flourished, waned, and died in Mesoamerica. These indigenous cultures of Mexico and Central America are brought to life in Mesoamerica's Ancient Cities through stunning color photographs. The authors include the most recent research and most widely accepted theoretical perspectives on Mesoamerican civilizations. Ideal for the general reader as well as scholars of Mesoamerica, this volume makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the Americas.
Download or read book Death and the Classic Maya Kings written by James L. Fitzsimmons and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like their regal counterparts in societies around the globe, ancient Maya rulers departed this world with elaborate burial ceremonies and lavish grave goods, which often included ceramics, red pigments, earflares, stingray spines, jades, pearls, obsidian blades, and mosaics. Archaeological investigation of these burials, as well as the decipherment of inscriptions that record Maya rulers' funerary rites, have opened a fascinating window on how the ancient Maya envisaged the ruler's passage from the world of the living to the realm of the ancestors. Focusing on the Classic Period (AD 250-900), James Fitzsimmons examines and compares textual and archaeological evidence for rites of death and burial in the Maya lowlands, from which he creates models of royal Maya funerary behavior. Exploring ancient Maya attitudes toward death expressed at well-known sites such as Tikal, Guatemala, and Copan, Honduras, as well as less-explored archaeological locations, Fitzsimmons reconstructs royal mortuary rites and expands our understanding of key Maya concepts including the afterlife and ancestor veneration.
Download or read book Fanning the Sacred Flame written by Brian D. Dillon and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 617 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fanning the Sacred Flame: Mesoamerican Studies in Honor of H. B. Nicholson contains twenty-two original papers in tribute to H. B. "Nick" Nicholson, a pioneer of Mesoamerican research. His intellectual legacy is recognized by Mesoamerican archaeologists, art historians, ethnohistorians, and ethnographers--students, colleagues, and friends who derived inspiration and encouragement from him throughout their own careers. Each chapter, which presents original research inspired by Nicholson, pays tribute to the teacher, writer, lecturer, friend, and mentor who became a legend within his own lifetime. Covering all of Mesoamerica across all time periods, contributors include Patricia R. Anawalt, Alfredo López Austin, Anthony Aveni, Robert M. Carmack, David C. Grove, Richard D. Hansen, Leonardo López Luján, Kevin Terraciano, and more. Eloise Quiñones Keber provides a thorough biographical sketch, detailing Nicholson's academic and professional journey.
Download or read book The Proceedings of the Maya Hieroglyphic Workshop written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Forest of History written by Travis W. Stanton and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2020-07-01 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Freidel and Linda Schele’s monumental work A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya (1990) offered an innovative, rigorous, and controversial approach to studying the ancient Maya, unifying archaeological, iconographic, and epigraphic data in a form accessible to both scholars and laypeople. Travis Stanton and Kathryn Brown’s A Forest of History: The Maya after the Emergence of Divine Kingship presents a collection of essays that critically engage with and build upon the lasting contributions A Forest of Kings made to Maya epigraphy, iconography, material culture, and history. These original papers present new, cutting-edge research focusing on the social changes leading up to the spread of divine kingship across the lowlands in the first part of the Early Classic. The contributors continue avenues of inquiry such as the timing of the Classic Maya collapse across the southern lowlands, the nature of Maya warfare, the notion of usurpation and “stranger-kings” in the Classic period, the social relationships between the ruler and elite of the Classic period Yaxchilán polity, and struggles for sociopolitical dominance among the later Classic period polities of Chichén Itzá, Cobá, and the Puuc kingdoms. Many of the interpretations and approaches in A Forest of Kings have withstood the test of time, while others have not; a complete understanding of the Classic Maya world is still developing. In A Forest of History recent discoveries are considered in the context of prior scholarship, illustrating both the progress the field has made in the past quarter century and the myriad questions that remain. The volume will be a significant contribution to the literature for students, scholars, and general readers interested in Mesoamerican and Maya archaeology. Contributors: Wendy Ashmore, Arlen F. Chase, Diane Z. Chase, Wilberth Cruz Alvarado, Arthur A. Demarest, Keith Eppich, David A. Freidel, Charles W. Golden, Stanley P. Guenter, Annabeth Headrick, Aline Magnoni, Joyce Marcus, Marilyn A. Masson, Damaris Menéndez, Susan Milbrath, Olivia C. Navarro-Farr, José Osorio León, Carlos Peraza Lope, Juan Carlos Pérez Calderón, Griselda Pérez Robles, Francisco Pérez Ruíz, Michelle Rich, Jeremy A. Sabloff, Andrew K. Scherer, Karl A. Taube
Download or read book Daily Life in Maya Civilization written by Robert J. Sharer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-05-14 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experience daily life in Maya civilization, from its earliest beginnings to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Narrative chapters describe Mayan political life, economy, social structure, religion, writing, warfare, and scientific methods. Readers will explore the Mayan calendar, counting system, hunting and gathering methods, language, and family roles and relationships. A revised and expanded edition based on the latest archaeological research, this volume offers new interpretations and corrects popular misconceptions, and shows how the Maya adapted to their environment and preserved their culture and language over thousands of years. Over 60 photos and illustrations, several of new archaeological sites, enhance the material, and an expanded resource center bibliography includes web sites and DVDs for further study. The closing chapter discusses what Maya civilization means for us today and what we can learn from Maya achievements and failures. A first-stop reference source for any student of Latin American and Native American history and culture.
Download or read book Thinking Recording and Writing History in the Ancient World written by Kurt A. Raaflaub and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-11-08 with total page 542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World presents a cross-cultural comparison of the ways in which ancient civilizations thought about the past and recorded their own histories. Written by an international group of scholars working in many disciplines Truly cross-cultural, covering historical thinking and writing in ancient or early cultures across in East, South, and West Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Americas Includes historiography shaped by religious perspectives, including Judaism, early Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism
Download or read book The Hidden Codex written by James O'Kon and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2016-08-28 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archaeoengineer Josh Stone is challenged by the CIA to interpret ancient Maya hieroglyphics that reveal clues to the location of a book hidden by 8th century Maya scientists. The book contains the secret of a horrible weapon. Josh is competing with extreme terrorists, who are driven by lust to seize the weapon for world domination. Using digital technology to uncover clues in pursuit of the ancient artifact, Dr. Stone journeys from London and Madrid and to the rain forests of Mexico, in a journey punctuated by terrorist attacks, intervention by Maya warriors and encounters with deadly wild river whirlpools. Jim O'Kon has created an unforgettable portrait of ancient Maya and modern technology, a celebration of a remarkable achievements and a chronicle of an extraordinary adventure in time and space bringing compelling historical events to life.
