Books on the Ancient Maya World

Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster. 2000. Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. Garland Publishing, New York.

A select bibliography of published articles and books on the Maya Civilization.

Romancing the Maya is about ownership of the past, and an intriguing book and I think a rather important one, for all of us who think about the past and study cultures not our own.

This collection of articles by Inomata and Houston called Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya is the first of two planned volumes, focusing not on the Maya kings, but on the inner circle, the group of people that surrounded them—courtiers, historians, entertainers, concubines, children and other heirs, and ministers.

Takeshi Inomata and Stephen D. Houston, eds. 2001. Westview Press, Boulder. This book contains an introduction to several archaeological sites of the Maya civilization, including Uxmal, Copan, Caracol, Cahal Pech, and Bonampak, providing details about the sites at the same time as describing the royal court system.

In The World of the Ancient Maya, John S. Henderson provides a broad level introduction to a sophisticated and elegant world, obscured by events and the passage of time, but fortunately not completely lost to us.

Joel W. Palka’s book, Unconquered Lacandon Maya, discusses the current and historical conditions of the various groups of people collectively called the Lacandon.