Free Downloads A Guide To Ancient Maya Ruins
Since the publication of the first edition of this work, it has become the standard guide for serious travelers to the great Maya sites of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. In this expanded and updated edition C. Bruce Hunter offers an introduction to the culture and history of the Maya, taking into account the most recent discoveries and theories about their origins, rise to greatness, and fall. He then takes the reader on a tour through their magnificent cities and ceremonial centers.Each site is presented in the light of current excavations and restorations and illuminated by stunning photographs and detailed site maps. Important centers that have recently become accessible by modern transportation have been added to this edition. Appended are helpful suggestions for reaching the sites, tours, weather and clothing tips, and a list of selected readings.The twenty-four sites included:Guatemala: El Baul, Iximche, Kaminaljuyu, Las Ilusiones, Mixco Viejo, Monte Alto, Quirigua, Seibal, Tikal, and Zaculeu.Honduras: CopanMexico: Bonampak, Coba, Chichen Itza, Cozumel, Edzna, Kabah, Labna, Palenque, Sayil, Tulum, Uxmal, Xlapak, and Yaxchilan.Throughout the guide the author shares his wealth of experience over thirty years spent leading field-study trips for the American Museum of Natural History, and his special aesthetic vision of this most remarkable of the ancient civilizations of the Americas. Critics have called this guide "among the few books the curious traveler should take along to the field," and the thousands of copies sold attest to its enduring usefulness.
Paperback: 356 pages
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press; Second Edition edition (May 15, 1986)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0806119926
ISBN-13: 978-0806119922
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.7 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #574,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #93 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Mayan #425 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Archaeology #506 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Latin America
You will feel like a guide if you carry this book with you through the ruins. An excellent text for teaching the reader about the ruins to be visited. Does not make many allowances for the armchair traveler. You should buy and bring this book with you, it can be used to help plan a trip, but the enjoyment is having the information at hand and in detail in the field. Substantial number of black and white photos, drawings, maps, and color plates.
I'm writing this based on my original 1986 copy. I've recommended this book to literally hundreds of people. Always with the... if you can find it. Had no idea it was still in publication. This isn't an extreme technical publication in that it doesn't go into the reason for every detail of carving. It also misses out on some to the recent discoveries that have changed and clarified certain views of the Mayan world. But I find it great in that the author reaches out to touch the reader so he can relate to an otherwise alien culture. In particular is the author's obvious love of art and architecture. As mentioned, take this book with you. It makes a nice bridge between what you see and what it must have been like at the height of the Mayan civilization. I've been to virtually every site in the book. Some I first visited before I had it. I've since gone back and the book certainly added to my understanding. It's a great jumping off point to even more study.
This 1974 well illustrated Guide was the standard for the serious travelers visiting the great and now partially restored sites of "Mayaland". Thankfully the University of Oklahoma has reprinted this classic. There has been a New Mayan Historical Renaissance thanks to Mexico's INAH great restoration work, 2012 prophecies, and the dockings of cruise ships- and their taking of thousands of tourists on side trips to these Mayan Sites. This book will make a great read for anyone contemplating a cruise and side trip to these awesome sites. Its availability in Cruise ship book stores would be wonderful! A Guide to Ancient Maya Ruins is now again available thanks to .com. Buy it while you can
An easily accessible guide to a broad range of Maya ruins. It is easy to focus on only the major sites and miss other ones that are very nearby. Even if you are on a well organized tour, Hunter filled out my knowledge of the wider universe of sites in the region. We may not get to them all but we have a much better grasp of what is in the region. A valuable resource to appreciate the wide array of sites and make any trip to the region more valuable.
I was looking for a more recent book-I didn't realize this was published in the 80s and a lot has happened in Mayan archeology since.
Not perfect for when you are there. Not perfect reading it by itself. Reading it both ways is not ideal. A little outdated.
I bought this for background info about the Mayans before a trip to Guatemala and other Central American countries. It had some good pictures and tons of information about the ruins.
I purchased this book as a gift for my Uncle who is no longer able to travel. He raved about it. He said it was almost as good as being there.
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