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Ancient Americas: Mayan History & Art

Pacaritambo: The Machu Picchu Magazine & History Bookstore

Maya History & Civilization


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AN ALBUM OF MAYA ARCHITECTURE
by Tatiana Proskouriakoff. B&W drawings of the city buildings and B&W photos of artifacts. Condition: Gently pre-read c. 1977 Univ. of Oklahoma soft cover, new edition, 7th priting. Problem: This book looks new - feels new - BUT almost every page has extremely neat underlining with occasional notes - which I find very interesting. A very odd combination for a book. Content: Over 1,200 years ago, a magnificent civilization towered above the jungles of Central America and southern Mexico. The highly sophisticated people who inhabited this area had built elaborately carved temples and religious compounds, only to have their achievements disappear over the centuries, destroyed by foreign conquests, earthquakes, floods, and tropical overgrowth. This book, using as background the discoveries of nineteenth-century adventurers, describes the efforts of twentieth-century archeologists who excavated and restored a number of important sites to their former architectural splendor. Today, Mayan architecture attracts not only students of pre-Columbian civilization but also tourists, historians, and anthropologists. This book, through the author's own detailed illustrations, presents 36 sites as they appeared more than a thousand years ago. Facing the illustration of each structure is a documented text of archaelogical finds and a line drawing of existing remains. Among the sites depicted are the shrine in the Temple of the Cross at Palenque; the Acropolis and a Maya sweat bath in Piedras Negras, Guatemala; the hieroglyphic stairway, ball court, and reviewing stand in Copán, Honduras; The Palace at Sayil, Yucatán; The Palace of the Governors, in Uxmal; and The Red House and platforms on the north terrace at Chichén Itzá. Archaeological references and a map of the Maya area, showing the location of illustrated sites, complete this imaginative and well-executed study of ancient Mayan architecture. Unabridged republication. [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 2.99 media shipping.

Price: $ 5.49
An Album of Maya Architecture

CALENDARIO MAYA (Maya Calendar)
by Sidney Hollander and Eduardo Perez de Heredia. Vivid color drawings from the Codex. Condition: UNREAD c. 1998+ Calendario Maya (Mexico) hardcover (made to look and feel like a stone tablet), third edition. No DJ issued. Content: Based on the Popol Vuh, this book is excellent for older kids or adults. The book unfolds like a Codex. The cover is "aged" a bit to appear old. The colorful illustrations are from Codex figures. Explores Maya numbering system, the Long Count, The Lord of the Night, Tsolkin, Haab, Calendar Round, Reading Stela, and how to make your own personal Stela. [1 copy available]
$ 6.98 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

Price: $ 6.98
Calendario Maya

EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE MAYA
by Ralph Whitlock. B&W photos and artifact drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 1987 Dorset hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), 5th printing (c. 1995). Pale tanning to page edges. Content: This book describes the highly developed Mayan civilization noted for its achievements in architecture, mathematics, and astrology. Every facet of Maya life is described and documented. One of the best Maya books ever, IMHO. [1 copy available]
$ 9.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

Price: $ 9.50
Everyday Life of the Maya, Whitlock

HOW THE MAYA BUILT THEIR WORLD: Energetics and Ancient Architecture
by Elliot M. Abrams. B&W photos, drawings, maps, & charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 1994 Univ. of Texas Trade Paperback, first edition, no printing given. Very light edge wear. Content: Maya architecture is often described as "massive" and "monumental," but experiments at Copan, Honduras, convinced Elliot Abrams that 300 people could have built one of the large palaces there in only 100 days. In this groundbreaking work, Abrams explicates his theory of architectural energetics, which involves translating structures into volumes of raw and manufactured materials that are then multiplied by the time required for their production and assembly to determine the labor costs of past construction efforts. Applying this method to residential structures of the Late Classic period (A.D. 700-900) at Copan leads Abrams to posit a six-tiered hierarchic social structure of political decision making, ranging from a stratified elite to low-ranking commoners. By comparing the labor costs of construction and other economic activities, he also prompts a reconsideration of the effects of royal construction demands on commoners. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 11.49 + $ 2.99 media shipping.

Price: $ 11.49
How the Maya Built Their World, Abrams

THE MAYAS ON THE ROCKS (Serie Mono-Gramas)
by coVo (Javier Covo Torres). B&W comic illustrations by the author. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1987 Dante Produccion Editorial Dante, S.A. soft cover, no printing given. Tiny edge wear with light tanning to page edges. Perused on the shelf. Pale tag removal shadow top front cover corner. Content: Reviewer: "Written in a breezy, sarcastic tone, this adult cartoon book provides a solid introduction to an ancient and easily misunderstood civilization. Cavo summarizes and simplifies modern intrepretations of Mayan historical eras, major deities, and many surprising scientific achievements. Yet Cavo doesn't shy away from the less romantic aspects of Mayan cultures like a frequent civil wars, a rigid class structure and human sacrifice that so many New Age narrators overlook in their celebration of this "spiritual" culture. While some adults find hesistate to pick up a 109-page comic book, this casual approach helped clarify several aspects that more academic books had only deepen by specialized jargon and excessive detail. Readers should know that the text, originally written in Spanish from a cynical point of view, contains many spelling errors that are easier to overlook when dealing so many new words from Mayan culture. Tourists to Mayan ruins, struggling students, and archaelogy buffs should find this accessible work a helpful and satsifying guide. If I were teaching a class that included a section on Mayan civilizations for middle school, high school or even college, I would assign this book as a satisfying introduction to a confusing subject." [Forerunner of the "Horrible Histories".] [1 copy available]
$ 5.69 + $ 2.99 media shipping.

Price: $ 5.69
Mayas On the Rocks, Fun History

REMARKABLE REMAINS OF THE ANCIENT PEPLES OF GUATEMALA (The Maya)
text and spectacular color and B&W photos by Jacques VanKirk and Parney Bassett-VanKirk. Condition: NEW 1997 University of Okalahoma Press huge soft cover (11.9 x 9 x 0.6 inches , 288 pages), first printing. Content: The VanKirks have produced a wonderful photographic record of the regions of the Maya of Guatemala and other Pre-Columbian peoples of the area. The photos cover The South Coast; The Lowlands; and The Highlands. Excellent! [1 copy available]
$ 6.50 + $ 2.99 media shipping.

Price: $ 6.50
Remarkable Remains, Ancient Guatemala: Maya

TULUM: A Practical Guide and Photo Album (English Edition)
by Xavier Alducin Varela. Beautiful color photos and color maps illustrate. Condition: NEW 2005 ESF (Mexico) soft cover, 20th edition. Content: This is a beautiful guide to the wonders of Tulum (Mayas-by-the-sea or the Riveria Maya). Most likely this is a booklet sold for tourists. It covers history, art, and religion. Simply wonderful. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 7.29 + $ 2.99 first class shipping.

Price: $ 7.29
Tulum, Guide Book
Tulum, Guide Book



BONAMPAK MURALS BOOKPLATES
art from a photo. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 4.0" H x 3.0" W. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is ZurichCalligraphic) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us. Content: Bonampak is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is well-known for a number of murals, most especially those located within Structure 1 (The Temple of the Murals). The construction of the site’s structures dates to the Early Classic period (c. AD 580 to 800). The paintings date from 790 and were made as frescos, with no seams in the plaster indicating that each room was painted in a single session during the short time that the plaster was moist. They show the hand of a master artist with a couple of competent assistants. The three rooms show a series of actual events with great realism. (Wikipedia). This graphic is of 3 nobles.
$ 4.00 + $ 2.85 first class shipping.

Price: $ 4.00
Bonampak Murals Bookplates

MAYA CALENDAR BOOKPLATES (T'ZOLKIN BOOKPLATES)
art by Airi Pung. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get at anywhere else. 4.0" H x 3.0" W. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is CroissantD) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us. Content: This is a rendering of the Maya Calendar (T'zolkin) from ancient carvings with time divisions.
$ 4.00 + $ 2.85 first class shipping. International shipping available.

Price: $ 4.00
T'zolkin Bookplates

PALENQUE BOOKPLATES
art by Kattalina. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 4.0" H x 3.0" W. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is Blue Highway Linocut) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us. Content: Palenque (Bŕak' in Modern Maya) was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th century. The Palenque ruins date back to 100 BC to its fall around 800 AD. (Wikipedia). This graphic is of the Temple of Inscriptions.
$ 4.00 + $ 2.85 first class shipping. International shipping available.

Price: $ 4.00
Palenque Bookplates



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