NCW Libraries

In the sixteenth century, Spanish conquerors came to the New World in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Instead, they encountered inexplicable phenomena that have puzzled scholars and historians ever since: massive stone edifices constructed in the Earth's most inaccessible regions . . . great monuments forged with impossible skill and unknown tools . . . intricate carvings describing events and places half a world away. Who were the bearded...

Coe (emeritus, anthropology, Yale U.) presents a brief account of the Central American people for students, travelers, and the general public that visitors to the region could carry while observing the ruins of the great civilization. Over the decades since the first edition in 1966, interest in the Maya has increased dramatically, and the progressive decipherment of the hieroglyphs has made it possible for him to rely ever more heavily on Mayan accounts...

This study of Native American societies is adapted for younger readers from Charles C. Mann's best-selling 1491. Turning conventional wisdom on its head, the book argues that the people of North and South America lived in enormous cities, raised pyramids hundreds of years before the Egyptians did, engineered corn, and farmed the rainforests.

The Maya were one of the early Indian cultures to emerge in what is now Mexico and Central America, and many of their descendents still live in the region today. This book provides a fascinating look at the traditions and beliefs of the Maya people as well as a glimpse into the life of the Maya today.

"The history of North America, from Christopher Columbus to the present day, is a chaotic struggle for ownership of the land. This text will address questions such as the history of native communities that were displaced or conquered, and even further back to how Native North, Central and South Americans came to these continents in the first place. Historical facts are mainly supported through archaeological findings."--Provided by the publisher.