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| The Maya, Seventh Edition (Ancient Peoples and Places) | 
| Author: Michael D. Coe
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Category: Book
List Price: $22.50
Buy New: $10.00
You Save: $12.50 (56%)
New (33) Collectible (2) from $10.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 12029
Media: Paperback
Edition: 7
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0500285055
Dewey Decimal Number: 972.81016
EAN: 9780500285053
ASIN: 0500285055
Publication Date: March 30, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 16 | | NEXT » |
 Ok i guess June 11, 2008
Its not a bad book for someone whos just starting to read about them. Good pictures and drawings, not a great book but good enough.
An Excellent Inrtoduction to the Maya August 5, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is an excellent introduction to the Maya. It is well-written and flows nicely. Of particular use are the fine illustrations that accompany the text; as you read the text you are refermed by numbers in the margin to a suitable illustration. One of the strong points of this book is that the author criticizes other works and himself in view of the latest research on the topic. The book also has an excellent bibliography that refers the reader to both scholarly and popular works.
A final strong point of this work is that it is only one-half to one-third the length of other works; better a shorter book that you will read than a longer one that will rest upon a shelf!
My only criticism of this book is the final chapter. Like many academics Prof Coe hates American influence (tourists innundate ruins, evangelical christianity threatens the shamans, and the cattle ranches that produce meat for "American hamburgers") and Republicans (things improved for the Maya with a Democrat in the White House). Also, he accepts the lies in Rigoberta Menchu's book as true.
Yet, overall this is a valuable book.
 Any Author Who Can Make El Mirador Come To Life Deserves Five Stars June 1, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The ruins of the ancient Mayan city of El Mirador are deep in the jungles of northern Guatamala. Once one of the largest cities in North America with 80,000 people, El Mirador today is accessible only by helicopter or by long distance hiking. Before its mysterious abandonment in the third century AD, El Mirador boasted the Danta Pyramid, the largest structure of this type in the world. Michael Coe has written a facinating book about the world of the ancient Maya. His ability to make El Mirador and many similar sites come to life makes this book well worth the purchase price even if Yucatan and vicinity are not in one's travel plans.
Professor Coe traces the rise of Mayan civilization from earliest times, to the splendor of the Late Classic Period when as many as ten million people lived in the lowlands, to the "Mayan Apocalypse"of the eighth century AD when the greatest cities of the New World were abandoned and returned to the jungle. Each of the major sites is described in detail with a complete description of artifacts and numerous photographs and maps. The author concludes with an extended discussion of Mayan thought and culture, and with his personal tribute to "The Enduring Maya". The Mayan population of southern Mexico and Central America has returned to over seven million people despite five hundred years of European diseases and economic oppression.
It is important that we not miss the practical implications of this book. The "Mayan Apocalpse" had ecological roots. The population had increased beyond the carrying capacity of the land, and there was massive deforestation and soil erosion. Years of severe drought followed. There is currently a debate about whether global warming is real, and if so whether it matters. One of the first great civilizations in the New World came to a disastrous end because of its inability or unwillingness to deal with environmental issues. We need to draw proper conclusions from the Mayan experience.
A very good introduction to Maya archeology March 29, 2007
From one of the most important mayanists, a very good introduction to Maya archeology.
Introduction to the Mayan culture January 10, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I found this book to be a very good introduction to the Mayan culture, however, introduction may be an understatement. This book is very indepth, and academic in nature which gives it a high level of credibility.
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