The Maya: Lost Civilizations

By Megan E. O’Neil

An illuminating look at the myriad communities who have engaged with the ancient Maya over the centuries.

This book reveals how the ancient Maya--and their buildings, ideas, objects, and identities--have been perceived, portrayed, and exploited over five hundred years in the Americas, Europe, and beyond.

Engaging in interdisciplinary analysis, the book summarizes ancient Maya art and history from the preclassical period to the Spanish invasion, as well as the history of outside engagement with the ancient Maya, from Spanish invaders in the sixteenth century to later explorers and archaeologists, taking in scientific literature, visual arts, architecture, world's fairs, and Indigenous activism. It also looks at the decipherment of Maya inscriptions, Maya museum exhibitions and artists' responses, and contemporary Maya people's engagements with their ancestral past. Featuring the latest research, this book will interest scholars as well as general readers who wish to know more about this ancient, fascinating culture.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1789145503
• ISBN13: 9781789145502
• Release Date: December 2022
• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Maya to Marx

What started out as an interesting and, somewhat unique perspective in this overview of the Maya ultimately collapsed into a cultural Marxist, critical theory morass. Could not bring myself to finish it. The historical relativism employed by the author erased whatever integrity on the subject of the Maya she possessed. Shame.