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The 10 Best Mayan History Books list have been recommended not only by normal readers but also by experts.
You’ll also find that these are top-ranking books on the US Amazon Best Sellers book list for the Mayan History category of books.
If any of the titles interest you, I’d recommend checking them out by clicking the “Check Price” button. It’ll take you to the authorized retailer website, where you’ll be able to see reviews and buy it.
Let’s take a look at the list of 10 Best Mayan History Books.
10 Best Mayan History Books
Now, let’s dive right into the list of 10 Best Mayan History Books, where we’ll provide a quick outline for each book.
1. Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock Review Summary
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Fingerprints of the Gods
Could the story of mankind be far older than we have previously believed? Using tools as varied as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths, Graham Hancock presents a compelling case to suggest that it is. ” A fancy piece of historical sleuthing . . . intriguing and entertaining and sturdy enough to give a long pause for thought.”– Kirkus Reviews In Fingerprints of the Gods, Hancock embarks on a worldwide quest to put together all the pieces of the vast and fascinating jigsaw of mankind’s hidden past. In ancient monuments as far apart as Egypt’s Great Sphinx, the strange Andean ruins of Tihuanaco, and Mexico’s awe-inspiring Temples of the Sun and Moon, he reveals not only the clear fingerprints of an as-yet-unidentified civilization of remote antiquity, but also startling evidence of its vast sophistication, technological advancement, and evolved scientific knowledge. A record-breaking number one bestseller in Britain, Fingerprints of the Gods contains the makings of an intellectual revolution, a dramatic and irreversible change in the way that we understand our past–and so our future. And Fingerprints of God tells us something more. As we recover the truth about prehistory, and discover the real meaning of ancient myths and monuments, it becomes apparent that a warning has been handed down to us, a warning of terrible cataclysm that afflicts the Earth in great cycles at irregular intervals of time–a cataclysm that may be about to recur. ” Readers will hugely enjoy their quest in these pages of inspired storytelling.”– The Times (UK)
2. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition by Jared Diamond Review Summary
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Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
In Jared Diamond’s follow-up to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel , the author explores how climate change, the population explosion and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of civilization. Diamond is also the author of Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted. As in Guns, Germs, and Steel , Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe, and weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Collapse moves from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society’s apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?
3. They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America (Journal of African Civilizations) by Ivan Van Sertima Review Summary
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They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America (Journal of African Civilizations)
” A landmark . . . brilliantly [demonstrates] has that there is far more to black history than the slave trade.”–John A. Williams They Came Before Columbus reveals a compelling, dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence and legacy of Africans in ancient America. Examining navigation and shipbuilding; cultural analogies between Native Americans and Africans; the transportation of plants, animals, and textiles between the continents; and the diaries, journals, and oral accounts of the explorers themselves, Ivan Van Sertima builds a pyramid of evidence to support his claim of an African presence in the New World centuries before Columbus. Combining impressive scholarship with a novelist’s gift for storytelling, Van Sertima re-creates some of the most powerful scenes of human history: the launching of the great ships of Mali in 1310 (two hundred master boats and two hundred supply boats), the sea expedition of the Mandingo king in 1311, and many others. In They Came Before Columbus, we see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of black Africans in pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilizations they encountered.
4. Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed by Edwin Barnhart Review Summary
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Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed
Centuries ago, Spanish conquistadors searching for gold and new lands encountered a group of independent city-states in Mesoamerica. Sophisticated beyond the Spaniards’ wildest imaginings, these people were the Aztecs, the Maya, and related cultures that shared common traditions of religion, government, the arts, engineering, and trade. In many ways more advanced than European nations, these societies equaled the world’s greatest civilizations of their time. Immerse yourself in this epic story with 48 exhilarating half-hour lectures that cover the scope of Mesoamerican history and culture. You’ll focus mainly on the Maya, who have been in Mesoamerica for thousands of years, and the Aztecs, who mysteriously appeared late and rose swiftly to power. The Aztecs fell from power just as precipitously; their empire controlled the region for less than a century, until the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1500s. Why were the Aztecs so quickly defeated by the conquistadors, while the Maya resisted the invaders for generations? Although the Spanish eventually conquered all of Mesoamerica, much remains of the original cultures. Beautiful artifacts fill museums. Impressive ruins dot the landscape. And millions of descendants of ancient Mesoamericans still live in their ancestral homes, speaking native languages and practicing time- honored traditions. The countries from Mexico to Costa Rica include more than a dozen UNESCO World Heritage Sites related to the pre-Columbian period, plus scores of other ancient sites that are equally worth a visit. This course is the ideal way to plan an itinerary, prepare for a tour, or simply sit back and enjoy a thrilling virtual voyage. You will be surprised at the number of sites to explore – many more than you could possibly see in months of travel. Your guide is Professor Barnhart, a noted archaeologist whose exploits include the discovery of a lost Maya city.
5. Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States by James C. Scott Review Summary
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Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States
An Economist Best History Book 2017 ” History as it should be written.”–Barry Cunliffe, Guardian ” Scott hits the nail squarely on the head by exposing the staggering price our ancestors paid for civilization and political order.”–Walter Scheidel, Financial Times Why did humans abandon hunting and gathering for sedentary communities dependent on livestock and cereal grains, and governed by precursors of today’s states? Most people believe that plant and animal domestication allowed humans, finally, to settle down and form agricultural villages, towns, and states, which made possible civilization, law, public order, and a presumably secure way of living. But archaeological and historical evidence challenges this narrative. The first agrarian states, says James C. Scott, were born of accumulations of domestications: first fire, then plants, livestock, subjects of the state, captives, and finally women in the patriarchal family–all of which can be viewed as a way of gaining control over reproduction. Scott explores why we avoided sedentism and plow agriculture, the advantages of mobile subsistence, the unforeseeable disease epidemics arising from crowding plants, animals, and grain, and why all early states are based on millets and cereal grains and unfree labor. He also discusses the “barbarians” who long evaded state control, as a way of understanding continuing tension between states and nonsubject peoples.
6. Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of The Mayan Book of The Dawn of Life and The Glories of Gods and Kings by Dennis Tedlock Review Summary
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Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of The Mayan Book of The Dawn of Life and The Glories of Gods and Kings
Popol Vuh, the Quiche Mayan book of creation, is not only the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, it is also an extraordinary document of the human imagination. It begins with the deeds of Mayan gods in the darkness of a primeval sea and ends with the radiant splendor of the Mayan lords who founded the Quiche kingdom in the Guatemalan highlands. Originally written in Mayan hieroglyphs, it was transcribed into the Roman alphabet in the sixteenth century. This new edition of Dennis Tedlock’s unabridged, widely praised translation includes new notes and commentary, newly translated passages, newly deciphered hieroglyphs, and over forty new illustrations.
7. James Baldwin. Steve Schapiro. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin Review Summary
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James Baldwin. Steve Schapiro. The Fire Next Time
“Schapiro and Baldwin showed the possibility of what strong writing and photography could achieve in their time. In ours, we’d do well to look to them.” — The Guardian, London First published in 1963, James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time stabbed at the heart of America’s so-called “Negro problem.” As remarkable for its masterful prose as for its frank and personal account of the black experience in the United States, it is considered one of the most passionate and influential explorations of 1960s race relations, weaving thematic threads of love, faith, and family into a candid assault on the hypocrisy of the “land of the free.” Now, James Baldwin’s rich, raw, and ever relevant prose is reprinted with more than 100 photographs from Steve Schapiro , who traveled the American South with Baldwin for Life magazine. The encounter thrust Schapiro into the thick of the movement, allowing for vital, often iconic, images both of civil rights leaders―including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Fred Shuttlesworth , and Jerome Smith ―and such landmark events as the March on Washington and the Selma March. Rounding out the edition are Schapiro’s stories from the field, an original introduction by civil rights legend and U.S. Congressman John Lewis , captions by Marcia Davis of The Washington Post, and an essay by Gloria Baldwin Karefa-Smart , who was with her brother James in Sierra Leone when he started to work on the story. The result is a remarkable visual and textual record of one of the most important and enduring struggles of the American experience.
8. Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock Review Summary
Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization
Could the story of mankind be far older than we have previously believed? Using tools as varied as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths, Graham Hancock presents a compelling case to suggest that it is. ” A fancy piece of historical sleuthing . . . intriguing and entertaining and sturdy enough to give a long pause for thought.”– Kirkus Reviews In Fingerprints of the Gods, Hancock embarks on a worldwide quest to put together all the pieces of the vast and fascinating jigsaw of mankind’s hidden past. In ancient monuments as far apart as Egypt’s Great Sphinx, the strange Andean ruins of Tihuanaco, and Mexico’s awe-inspiring Temples of the Sun and Moon, he reveals not only the clear fingerprints of an as-yet-unidentified civilization of remote antiquity, but also startling evidence of its vast sophistication, technological advancement, and evolved scientific knowledge. A record-breaking number one bestseller in Britain, Fingerprints of the Gods contains the makings of an intellectual revolution, a dramatic and irreversible change in the way that we understand our past–and so our future. And Fingerprints of God tells us something more. As we recover the truth about prehistory, and discover the real meaning of ancient myths and monuments, it becomes apparent that a warning has been handed down to us, a warning of terrible cataclysm that afflicts the Earth in great cycles at irregular intervals of time–a cataclysm that may be about to recur. ” Readers will hugely enjoy their quest in these pages of inspired storytelling.”– The Times (UK)
9. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition by Jared Diamond Review Summary
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
In Jared Diamond’s follow-up to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel , the author explores how climate change, the population explosion and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of civilization. Diamond is also the author of Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted. As in Guns, Germs, and Steel , Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe, and weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Collapse moves from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society’s apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?
10. Mesoamerican Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Maya Mythology, Aztec Mythology, Inca Mythology, and Central American Myths by Matt Clayton Review Summary
Mesoamerican Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Maya Mythology, Aztec Mythology, Inca Mythology, and Central American Myths
If you’re looking for a captivating collection of Inca Myths, then keep reading… This book includes four captivating manuscripts: * Maya Mythology: Captivating Maya Myths of Gods, Goddesses and Legendary Creatures * Aztec Mythology: Captivating Aztec Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures * Inca Mythology: Captivating Inca Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures * Central American Mythology: Captivating Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures of Ancient Mexico and Central America In the first part of this book, you’ll find the following Maya myths and topics covered * Two Creation Myths * The Downfall of Seven Macaw * The Boyhood Deeds of Hunahpu and Xbalanque * Ballgames in Xibalba * The Deaths and Resurrections of Hunahpu and Xbalanque * The Man Who Became a Buzzard * How the Sun and Moon Became Man and Wife * Rabbit Gets His Drink * And many more! In the second part of this book, you’ll find the following Aztec myths and topics covered * The Legend of the Suns * The Deeds of Mixcoatl * The Origin of Maize and the Creation of Pulque * The Fall of Xochiquetzal * The Fate of Souls * Huitzilopochtli and the Founding of Tenochtitlan * Huemac Plays the Ball Game * And many more! In the third part of this book, you’ll find the following Inca myths and topics covered * Stories of the Gods * Inca Political Myths * Five Andean Folktales and an Inca Play * And much, much more! In the fourth part of this book, you’ll find the following Central American myths and topics covered * Olocupinele Creates the World (Dule/Cuna, Panama) * Watakame’ and the Great Flood (Wixaritari/Huichol, Mexico) * Yomomuli and the Talking Tree (Yoeme/Yaqui, Mexico) * How the Sea Was Made (Cabecar, Costa Rica) * Mother Scorpion’s Country (Miskito, Nicaragua) * The Childhood of the Sun and the Moon (qne-a tnya-e/Chatino, Mexico) * The Invisible Hunters (Miskito, Nicaragua) * The King of the Peccaries (Bribri, Costa Rica) * How Opossum Stole Fire (Mazatec, Mexico) * Uncle Rabbit and Uncle Tiger (Nicaragua) * And much, much more! So if you want to learn more about these four mythologies, click “buy now”!
