Hunter has spent 30 years leading field study trips to Maya archaeological sites for the American Museum of Natural History, and this guide is intended for the traveler but is nevertheless scholarly. Updated since its original 1974 edition, it incorporates archaeological findings of the last 20 years and would enrich any collection of Central American guidebooks. Look elsewhere for maps, transportation tips and the proper way to say “Make that margarita strawberry” in Spanish. This is a thorough guide to the history, archaeology and architecture of the more accessible Maya ruins. SK

Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Paperback: 356 pages
Illustrated

“Classic work interprets Maya symbolism, estimates styles, covers ceramics, architecture, murals, stone carvings as art forms.”

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 285 pages
Illustrated

“The classic study of the New World’s most advanced, sophisticated, and subtle civilization—the ancient Maya. This remarkable people has begun to emerge from the obscurity of history, thanks to the tremendous progress made since the breaking of the Maya hieroglyphic code in 1960. This volume provides a social and historical framework for the architecture and objects produced by the ancient Maya and reveals a culture as rich and varied as the ancient civilizations of Europe, the Middle East and the Orient.”

Publisher: Braziller
Hardback: 320 pages
Illustrated

“The history of the American continent does not begin with Christopher Columbus, or even with Leif the Lucky, but with those Maya scribes in the Central American jungles who first began to record the deeds of their rulers some two thousand years ago. Of all the peoples of the pre-Columbian New World, only the ancient Maya had a complete script: they could write down anything they wanted to, in their own language… the inside story of one of the great intellectual breakthroughs of our time—the last great decipherment of an ancient script.”

Publisher: Thames and Hudson
Paperback: 304 pages
Illustrated

Considered by many scholars the finest Mexican codex and one of the most important original sources for the study of pre-Columbian religion, The Codex Borgia is a work of profound beauty, filled with strange and evocative images related to calendrical, cosmological, ritual and divinatory matters. The priceless original is in the Vatican library, and has been damaged over the centuries. It took seven years to restore the Codex by hand. The result is 76 large full-color plates of vibrant, striking depictions of gods, kings, warriors, mythical creatures and mysterious abstract designs.”

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 96 pages
Illustrated

One of the greatest tragedies of history is the destruction of nearly all ancient Mexican books by the religiously possessed Spanish priests during their conquest. In their attempt to obliterate all records and histories of these greatly advanced civilizations, they left a mere handful of the great hand-painted books in salvageable condition. In fact, out of untold numbers of Maya pre-conquest manuscripts only four survive. The conquistador Cortes sent two such “codices” to the Emperor Charles V. It is suspected that the Codex Nuttall may have been one of these. This book is a reprint of a 1902 facsimile of an ancient book created in the region now known as Oaxaca, Mexico, shortly before the bloody conquest. It shows the life of kings and warriors centering around the year 1000, including glimpses of ceremonies, birth rites, marriage histories, sacrifices and still-indecipherable symbols of the Mixtec artists. Like much pre-Colombian art, these images combine simplicity with complex mystery. The sense of permanent loss is profound. CS

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 96 pages
Illustrated

A lively, eloquent guide, as entertaining today as when it was first published in 1843, Incidents of Travel in Yucatan recounts the explorations and discoveries of best-selling travel writer John Lloyd Stephens. This beautiful new edition includes a choice selection of Frederick Catherwood’s evocative drawings from the original edition as well as 85 photographs from the 1860s to the present. Dover Books publishes a two-volume reprint of the original edition which contains all of the Catherwood drawings. Still, this richly visual edition serves as an effective time-machine, taking you back to the pioneer days of archaeology, and to the lost world of the ancient Maya.

Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
Paperback: 286 pages
Illustrated

“Long established as the best general introduction to the New World’s greatest ancient civilization, this fifth edition has been enlarged and entirely revised, placing new emphasis on the pre-Classic period, discussing the rise of such cities as Nakbé and El Mirador during the first millennium BC. An additional chapter on the terminal Classic period highlights the increasing evidence for overpopulation and deforestation as the prime causes of the catastrophic southern Maya collapse in the ninth century AD. But the focal point remains the glorious Classic period, with its magnificent art and architecture. New discoveries at such Classic cities as Copán and Dos Pilas receive full coverage, as do the epigraphic breakthroughs that continue to shed light on Maya dynastic history and cosmology. The final chapter pays tribute to the 6 million or more contemporary Maya, guardians of so many of the ancient traditions, whose long struggle against persecution and extermination continues to this day.”

Publisher: Thames and Hudson
Paperback: 224 pages
Illustrated

“Written in nontechnical terms for learners who have a basic knowledge of simple Mexican Spanish, the book presents practical information for anyone who would like to communicate with the Maya in their native language… covers pronunciation and grammar of Maya, also includes invaluable tips on learning indigenous languages ‘in the field.’ Most helpful are the discussions of the cultural and material worlds of the Maya, accompanied by essential words and expressions for common objects and experiences.”

Publisher: University of Texas
Paperback: 256 pages
Illustrated

The final, epic work by one of the world’s foremost Maya scholars. Proskouriakoff was responsible for discovering that a vast number of the glyphs covering Maya buildings and monuments actually recorded the lives and thoughts of specific individuals, not only the priests and Gods as was previously surmised. This significant breakthrough paved the way for a true history of the Maya civilization. The eventual collapse of the Classic Maya is discussed in connection with the corrupting “decadence” in their art, brought on by foreign influences in the Maya lowlands. Fourteen line drawings of stelae and over 300 original drawings of glyphs enhance the intriguing, densely detailed text. CS

Publisher: University of Texas
Hardback: 304 pages
Illustrated