The Maya: A Very Short Introduction

The Maya: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

$15.10
$15.10
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The Maya: A Very Short Introduction
  • The Maya: A Very Short Introduction
The Maya: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

The Maya: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

by Matthew Restall , Amara Solari
$15.10
$15.10

Book Overview

The Maya forged one of the greatest societies in the history of the ancient Americas -- and in all of human history. Long before contact with Europeans, Maya communities built spectacular cities with large, well-fed large populations. They mastered the visual arts, and developed a sophisticated writing system that recorded extraordinary knowledge in calendrics, mathematics, and astronomy. The Maya achieved all this without area-wide centralized control. There was never a single, unified Maya state or empire, but always numerous, evolving ethnic groups speaking dozens of distinct Mayan languages. The people we call "Maya" never thought of themselves as such; yet something definable, unique, and endlessly fascinating - what we call Maya culture - has clearly existed for millennia. So what was their self-identity and how did Maya civilization come to be "invented?"

With the Maya historically subdivided and misunderstood in so many ways, the pursuit of what made them "the Maya" is all the more important. In this Very Short Introduction, Restall and Solari explore the themes of Maya identity, city-state political culture, art and architecture, the Maya concept of the cosmos, and the Maya experience of contact with -- including invasion by -- outsiders. Despite its brevity, this book is unique for its treatment of all periods of Maya civilization, from its origins to the present.
ISBN9780190645021
Author Matthew Restall , Amara Solari
PublisherOxford University Press
GenreHistory
FormatPaperback
PublishedOctober 2020
LanguageENG- English
Pages152
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

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More by Matthew Restall

The Maya: A Very Short Introduction

The Maya: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

The Maya: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

By Matthew Restall and Amara Solari
About Matthew Restall
Matthew Restall is a historian of early Latin America, focusing on Aztec and Maya history, on the Spanish Conquest period, and on the African diaspora, as well as a popular music historian, having authored books on Elton John and pop music. He teaches at the Pennsylvania State University, where he is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History, Anthropology, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Director of Latin American Studies. A recipient of Guggenheim, NEH, and other fellowships, he has published books in seven languages. On Elton John is his 39 at 61 (hint: Elton John's 21 at 33).
About Amara Solari
Matthew Restall, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History and Anthropology and Director of Latin American Studies, Penn State University; Amara Solari, Professor of Art History and Anthropology, Penn State University.

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