Ancient Civilizations of Mexico and Central America

From the splendid Mayan cities of the Central American jungles and the Yucatan Peninsula, to the towering pyramids of the Aztec capital at Tenochtitlan, the extent and variety of pre-Columbian civilizations in the New World come to life in this authoritative volume from the golden age of anthropology.

Written by a noted expert, of Ancient Civilizations of Mexico and Central America has the author's substantial erudition and experience underpinning its portrait of a world lost to the Spanish conquest. Briefly recounting that conquest in his introduction, Spinden then turns to his true subject--the glory of these civilizations that thrived for two thousand years.

Beginning with a discussion of the archaic period--its agriculture, figurines, pottery, sculpture and customs--Spinden continues with the Mayan era, including Mayan gods, art, calendars, hieroglyphs, codices, astronomy and other topics, culminating in a summary of Mayan history. The next topic is the "Middle" civilizations, including the cultures of the Olmecs, Toltecs, Chorotegans, Zapotecans and others. Finally, Mr. Spinden focuses on the Aztecs, detailing their history, social organization, calendars, religion, ceremonies, poetry, music and other aspects of the vibrant and influential Aztec culture.