Ancient Maya: The Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization

Ancient Maya: The Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization
ISBN-10
0521592240
ISBN-13
9780521592246
Series
Ancient Maya
Category
History
Pages
400
Language
English
Published
2004-12-09
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Author
Arthur Demarest

Description

In this new archaeological study, Arthur Demarest brings the lost pre-Columbian civilization of the Maya to life. In applying a holistic perspective to the most recent evidence from archaeology, paleoecology, and epigraphy, this theoretical interpretation emphasises both the brilliant rain forest adaptations of the ancient Maya and the Native American spirituality that permeated all aspects of their daily life. Demarest draws on his own discoveries and the findings of colleagues to reconstruct the complex lifeways and volatile political history of the Classic Maya states of the first to eighth centuries. He provides a new explanation of the long-standing mystery of the ninth-century abandonment of most of the great rain forest cities. Finally, he draws lessons from the history of the Classic Maya cities for contemporary society and for the ongoing struggles and resurgence of the modern Maya peoples, who are now re-emerging from six centuries of oppression.

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