Mayan and Mexican Origins

Mayan and Mexican Origins PDF Author: Leo Wiener
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aztec language
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Mayan and Mexican Origins

Mayan and Mexican Origins PDF Author: Leo Wiener
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aztec language
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description


Ancient Mexico

Ancient Mexico PDF Author: Maria Longhena
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780760783818
Category : Art, Mexican
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Traces the glories and the collapse of these varied cultures and their annihilation by the Spanish conquistadors. Presents the architecture, sculpture, reliefs, ceramics, wall paintings, jewelry, and recently deciphered written records of the inhabitants of ancient Mexico.

The Maya Civilization

The Maya Civilization PDF Author: Enthralling History
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781956296068
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
Are the Mayans still around? What is the importance of Chichen Itza's discovery? How did this mighty civilization fall? If you want answers to these intriguing questions, then keep reading... The Mayans created an amazing society, full of surprises that keep us guessing how these people came to be and why - exactly - their civilization fell. Theories abound, archeologic discoveries both perplex and inspire us, but one thing remains: their story reads much more like our recent past than you'd ever imagined! This book takes readers on a journey that few have taken, deep into the Mayans' lineage, customs, politics, and daily life. Join us as we delve deep into the Maya story, uncovering stories, facts, and theories about this important - yet perplexing - society: The bitter irony of Catholicism's spread in Maya culture Who was the "mother civilization" of Mesoamerica? Did they really practice human sacrifice? A different kind of calendar... What inspired the rise of city-states in this ancient culture? Did the Maya develop the wheel? How - and what did they use - to make paint Were the Maya peaceful? Inventions galore - but what did they invent that we still use today? Why - and how - did the Spanish decide to conquer the Maya? Did a megadrought kill off the Mayans? Heavens, Earth, and Underground: Not just for Hobbits How did the large cities influence Mayan society - and who ruled them? You'll learn some fun facts - but will also be challenged with archaeologically-puzzling discoveries and learn of one man who escaped death-by-politics. (Exile wasn't good enough for some Mayan leaders; they meant to exterminate those who opposed them!) Grab your copy of this book, and dive into the many astonishing elements of this ancient civilization!

Popol Vuh: A Retelling

Popol Vuh: A Retelling PDF Author: Ilan Stavans
Publisher: Restless Books
ISBN: 1632062410
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
An inspired and urgent prose retelling of the Maya myth of creation by acclaimed Latin American author and scholar Ilan Stavans, gorgeously illustrated by Salvadoran folk artist Gabriela Larios and introduced by renowned author, diplomat, and environmental activist Homero Aridjis. The archetypal creation story of Latin America, the Popol Vuh began as a Maya oral tradition millennia ago. In the mid-sixteenth century, as indigenous cultures across the continent were being threatened with destruction by European conquest and Christianity, it was written down in verse by members of the K’iche’ nobility in what is today Guatemala. In 1701, that text was translated into Spanish by a Dominican friar and ethnographer before vanishing mysteriously. Cosmic in scope and yet intimately human, the Popol Vuh offers invaluable insight into the Maya way of life before being decimated by colonization—their code of ethics, their views on death and the afterlife, and their devotion to passion, courage, and the natural world. It tells the story of how the world was created in a series of rehearsals that included wooden dummies, demi-gods, and eventually humans. It describes the underworld, Xibalba—a place as harrowing as Dante’s hell—and relates the legend of the ultimate king, who, in the face of tragedy, became a spirit that accompanies his people in their struggle for survival. Popol Vuh: A Retelling is a one-of-a-kind prose rendition of this sacred text that is as seminal as the Bible and the Qur’an, the Ramayana and the Odyssey. Award-winning scholar of Latin American literature Ilan Stavans brings a fresh creative energy to the Popol Vuh, giving a new generation of readers the opportunity to connect with this timeless story and with the plight of the indigenous people of the Americas. Praise for Popol Vuh: A Retelling: “Salvadoran illustrator Larios provides lush images to accompany stories of the Earth and the underworld, Xibalba, and the animals and gods that inhabit them…. A beautiful interpretation of pivotal Central American history told through contemporary illustration and language.” —Kirkus Reviews “In these pages you will find an adroit retelling of a complex and often confusing tale with a vast and bewildering cast of characters. Approaching the Popol Vuh with a fresh eye and the necessary erudition, Ilan Stavans, the distinguished scholar of Hispanic culture, nimbly conveys the content and the sense of the original, retaining its magic and fascination, while rendering it more accessible to a wider readership. Popol Vuh: A Retelling artfully presents the case for the centrality of this magisterial story to the cultural consciousness of the Americas and for the urgency of its message.” —Homero Aridjis, from the foreword "At a time when so many of us ask ourselves about the end of the world as we know it, few books could be more relevant than this sacred text of the Maya. In a mesmerizing, illuminating new translation, Ilan Stavans brings to contemporary readers this lyrical epic, with its messages from a lost civilization obsessed, as ours should be, with the inevitable cycles of catastrophe and change. The Popol Vuh encourages us to contemplate the perpetual conflict between truth and falsehood, light and darkness, so that we may find the wisdom to emerge as better people." —Ariel Dorfman, author of Death and the Maiden "Popol Vuh is one of the seminal foundational 'texts' of the Americas before it became 'America'—and one so few of us really know much about. Again, Ilan Stavans is infusing the US of A with the cultures and stories that have been traditionally erased or ignored and forgotten. All I can say is, another amazing Stavans project!" —Julia Alvarez "The Popol Vuh is the great book of creation of the Maya K'iche' culture, and Ilan Stavans has embarked on an intrepid adventure of recreation; he returns to a myth of origin to endow it with vibrant topicality, proving that rewriting a legend is a way of bewitching time." —Juan Villoro, author of God Is Round “Many translators, scholars, and poets have brought us close to the radiant eminence of our Mayan origin story, the Popol Vuh. None touch its wondrous dynamism and epic elegance like Stavans and Larios. Free of the formal constraints of the K’iche’ original, Stavans’s delivers a masterful retelling that invites us into chimeric dreams: from the mischievous first peoples and the quests of those grown from seeds, to hybrid creatures and demi-god twins with battles lost and won. Larios’s dexterous admixture of cool washes and vibrant color palettes along with a K’iche’-inspired line-work aesthetic, further unzip our minds to a shared ancestral imaginary. Only my Guatemalan abuelita could cast such storytelling spells over me. Together, Stavans and Larios invite us all to dance as the children we once were and will become. A gift!” —Frederick Luis Aldama, author of Long Stories Cut Short: Fiction from the Borderlands “Ilan Stavans's retelling of this ancient and sacred story of the Mayan people is as exquisitely written as it is necessary.” —Eduardo Halfon, author of Mourning Praise for Ilan Stavans: “Ilan Stavans is an inventive interpreter of the contemporary cultures of the Americas…. Cantankerous and clever, sprightly and serious, Stavans is a voracious thinker. In his writing, life serves to illuminate literature—and vice versa: he is unafraid to court controversy, unsettle opinions, make enemies. In short, Stavans is an old-fashioned intellectual, a brilliant interpreter of his triple heritage—Jewish, Mexican, and American.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr. “…in the void created by the death of his compatriot Octavio Paz, Ilan Stavans has emerged as Latin America’s liveliest and boldest critic and most innovative cultural enthusiast.” —The Washington Post “Ilan Stavans has done as much as anyone alive to bridge the hemisphere’s linguistic gaps.” —The Miami Herald “A canon-maker.” —The Chronicle of Higher Education “Ilan Stavans is a maverick intellectual whose canonical work has already produced a whole array of marvels... His incisive essays are redefining Jewish literature.” —The Forward “Ilan Stavans is the rarest of North American writers—he sees the Americas whole. Not since Octavio Paz has Mexico given us an intellectual so able to violate borders, with learning and grace.” —Richard Rodriguez “In the multicultural rainbow that is contemporary America, no one may be more representative of the state of the union than Ilan Stavans.” —Newsday “Ilan Stavans may very well succeed in becoming the Octavio Paz of our age.” —The San Francisco Chronicle “A virtuoso critic with an exuberant, encyclopedic, restless mind.” —The Forward “Ilan Stavans has the sharp eye of the internal exile. Writing about the sometimes reluctant reconquista of North America by Spanish-speaking cultures or the development of his own identity, he deals with both the life of the mind and the life of the streets.” —John Sayles “Lively and intelligent, eclectic, sharp-tongued.” —Peter Matthiessen “I think Stavans has one of the best grips around on what makes Spanish America tick.” —Gregory Rabassa “Ilan Stavans is a disciple of Kafka and Borges. He accepts social identity broadly, in the most cosmopolitan terms… His impulse is to broaden, not to narrow; he finds understanding through complication of identity, not through the easy gestures of ethnic politics.” —The New York Times “Ilan Stavans has established himself as an invaluable commentator of literature.” —Phillip Lopate

Ancient Mexico

Ancient Mexico PDF Author: Maria Longhena
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780760727911
Category : Art, Mexican
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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The Conquest of Mexico

The Conquest of Mexico PDF Author: William Hickling Prescott
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780359746644
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
Prescott's history of Hernan Cortes, and his conquering of Mexico for the Spanish Empire in the 16th century, is a classic of historical literature. This edition unifies the seven books in a single volume. Drawing on sources given to him by Mexican authorities, plus existing histories of Cortes, Prescott presents an exhaustive narration of the conquest. He commences with an account of the culture of the Mayan peoples; crediting their hieroglyphic language, traditions and unique agricultural and architectural achievements. After these descriptions, we are taken to 1519 ? the Mayan civilization under the rule of King Montezuma. The initial explorations of the Spanish around the Central American coastline are followed by skirmishes and hostilities. The Spanish mission rapidly turns from one of discovery to one of conquest after the conquistadors decide to keep Montezuma hostage; reinforcements are requested and arrive, as intense battles against the Mayans ensue...

Yucatán's Maya Peasantry and the Origins of the Caste War

Yucatán's Maya Peasantry and the Origins of the Caste War PDF Author: Terry Rugeley
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 9780292770782
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
"Social history that challenges earlier views of the Caste War. Examines the development of the social, political, and economic structure of the Yucatâan during the first half of the 19th century and profiles four towns involved in the Caste War. Emphasizes the eroding status of Maya elites as a key to the revolt"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

Triumphs and Tragedy

Triumphs and Tragedy PDF Author: Ramón Eduardo Ruiz
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393310665
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 518

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Book Description
An epic history of Mexico from its Olmec, Aztec, and Mayan heritage to the present day.

Warlords of Ancient Mexico

Warlords of Ancient Mexico PDF Author: Peter G. Tsouras
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1632201798
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 497

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Book Description
Learn the unbelievable true history of the great warrior tribes of Mexico. More than thirteen centuries of incredible spellbinding history are detailed in this intriguing study of the rulers and warriors of Mexico. Dozens of these charismatic leaders of nations and armies are brought to life by the deep research and entertaining storytelling of Peter Tsouras. Tsouras introduces the reader to the colossal personalities of the period: Smoking Frog, the Mexican Machiavelli, the Poet Warlord, the Lion of Anahuac, and others . . . all of them warlords who shaped one of the most significant regions in world history, men who influenced the civilization of half a continent. The warlords of Mexico, for all their fascinating lives and momentous acts, have been largely ignored by writers and historians, but here that disappointing record is put right by a range of detailed biographies that entertain as they inform. Students of the area, historians working in American history, and long-term visitors and tourists to the region will gain a much clearer understanding of the background history of these territories and the men who formed and reformed them. Lavishly illustrated with dozens of photographs and color paintings, Warlords of Ancient Mexico is essential reading for anyone interested in this tumultuous, endlessly captivating period of Central American history. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aztec & Maya

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aztec & Maya PDF Author: Charles Phillips
Publisher: Lorenz Books
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
A highly readable, authoritative history of Mesoamerica and its many peoples, from the Olmecs and Maya to the Toltecs and Aztecs.