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The Maya (Ancient Peoples and Places) Paperback – January 31, 2011

by Michael D. Coe (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 53 ratings
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"The gold standard of introductory books on the ancient Maya."―Expedition

The Maya has long been established as the best, most readable introduction to the New World’s greatest ancient civilization. In these pages Michael D. Coe distills a lifetime’s scholarship for the general reader and student.

The eighth edition incorporates the latest archaeological and epigraphic research. Among the finest new discoveries are the spectacular polychrome murals of Calakmul, which provide archaeological evidence for the importance of marketplaces in the Classic Maya cities as well as giving a unique glimpse into Maya daily life. Other recent finds relate to the initial peopling of the Maya area by Early Hunters and Archaic peoples.

It is clear that the birth of Maya civilization lies not in the Classic but in the Preclassic period, above all in the Mirador Basin of northern Guatemala, where the builders of gigantic ancient cities erected the world’s largest pyramid as early as 200 BC. In addition, the persistent influence of the precocious Olmec civilization of southeast Mexico on the development of complex society in the Maya area has become more apparent. These and other discoveries continue to suggest that we must rethink what we mean by the term “Classic.”

This edition concludes with new historical evidence for the crucial role played by collaborationist native leaders, both Maya and non- Maya, in the Spanish conquest of the region. 20 color and 170 black-and-white photographs and illustrations
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    280 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Thames & Hudson
  4. Publication date
    January 31, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 0.8 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0500289026
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0500289020
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael D. Coe (1929– 2019) was Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Yale University and Curator Emeritus for the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. His books include The Maya, Mexico, and Breaking the Maya Code.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thames & Hudson; Eighth edition (January 31, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0500289026
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0500289020
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.59 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 0.8 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 53 ratings

About the author

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Michael D. Coe

Michael D. Coe

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Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Yale University, Michael D. Coe is a specialist in the comparative study of ancient, tropical forest civilizations. Coe's books include The Maya, Mexico, The True History of Chocolate, Breaking the Maya Code, Reading the Maya Glyphs, and Angkor and the Khmer Civilization.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
53 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source of Information Regarding the Maya
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book in anticipation of a visit to various Mayan sites after I retire (which has not yet occurred). This is the first such book I have bought or read on Mayan culture, and thus I am not able to compare it to other works on the subject. However, I find this book very helpful and informative. The text is in professorial style and a little difficult to assimilate, but the book is relatively short, being less than 300 pages with many photos and diagrams interspersed throughout,. As a result, it is not, as I had feared, a mammoth project to read through this work. The explanation of the decipherment of the glyph system of writing is definitely beyond my ken, but I gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the system and the work of those who contributed to "cracking the code". The work was helpful with regard to determning which sites might be considered the more signigicant and how they related to other sites in Mayan history and culture. In my opiinion this work would be useful to the scholar as well as the most casual tourist, and I would highly recommend it to either.
2 people found this helpful
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E. Floehr
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, easy to read, full of information
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014
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As a curious amateur (I have no training in anything remotely related to anthropology or archaeology) I have been fascinated with the native peoples of the North, Central, and South American continents. This book is well written, the structure easy to follow, and the diagrams and photos well done.

After reading this book, I feel as if I know about the Mayan people, how they lived, and what they left behind. I appreciated that everything was well grounded in serious research (there are a lot of hokey Mayan books) and that the book talked about the people and processes behind that research. I recommend anything by Michael Coe.
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gork57
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Foundation for Exploring the Maya
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2014
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I have been deeply interested in the Mayan civilization for decades, and have long known of Dr. Michael Coe. I'm now in my late fifties, and over the decades have seen just about every television documentary about this most fascinating of all Mesoamerican societies (two of these, 'Breaking the Maya Code', and 'Cracking the Maya Code' were based on Coe's book of the same name as the former). This is my first foray into Dr. Coe's written works; he is widely acknowledged as one of the foremost experts in the world on the Maya.

If one wants to learn about the Maya from scratch, this book is the place to start-just be aware that Dr. Coe has more than a thousand years to cover here, and the Maya were a very complex and enigmatic society. He also weaves the story of how the Mayan civilization was discovered by Westerners and how the writing and numerical systems used by the Classic Maya were deciphered (which is still an ongoing process) into the narrative of this book.

Other reviewers have complained about Coe's extensive descriptions of Mayan artifacts and architecture as 'dry' and slowing down the narrative. While it is true this can get a bit tedious, a great deal of what we know about the Maya comes from these very items--the Classic Maya put their glyphs everywhere, including on their pottery, murals, stelae (upright rectangular stones), and buildings.

This most recent update of what has become a series of books is the most comprehensive yet, encompassing new discoveries such as the gigantic Pre-Classic Mayan complex in the El Mirador basin in Guatemala, as well as the discovery of a new set of Pre-Classic murals at nearby San Bartolo. The latter has been compared in significance to the famed Classic-period murals at Bonampak; the Danta pyramid at El Mirador is the largest yet discovered at any Maya site, and is comparable in total volume to the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt. These discoveries show the Maya were building on a vast scale centuries before the Classic Period began around AD 300.

Dr. Coe has somehow managed to pull off the considerable feat of covering the whole of the known Maya timeline, from their Olmec-influenced beginnings to the present day. Contrary to what some believe, the Maya didn't disappear after the 'Great Collapse' that ended the Classic Period Golden Age at the end of the 9th century; they moved and adapted. The Maya people did the same after the Spanish Conquest, and continue to do so today.

The story of the Maya is something one easily gets addicted to; catch the bug, and you'll want to keep digging.
4 people found this helpful
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E. Heeszel
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice quality, good price, good book, good buy!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2012
Verified Purchase
I bought this book for my ancient Maya Art History course. The price was better than I could find anywhere else, so I bought it. It was brand new, and came quite quickly. It is written well, with good flow, and very interesting information. There are great pictures to go along with the facts as well. Good buy all around!
2 people found this helpful
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Johan
5.0 out of 5 stars Good resource
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2011
Verified Purchase
From my amateur viewpoint, one of the best resources on the Mayan culture and history. It contains lots of photos and illustrations (mostly quite old and in black-and-white)and provides a good overview and introduction to the topic. Continuously updated, I saw mostly the 6th and 7th editions for sale in Gautemala, and was glad to find that the 8th edition was released in 2011.
One person found this helpful
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Margaret Blu
5.0 out of 5 stars The Maya (Eighth Edition)
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Good overview of ancient Maya. My major criticism concerns the amount of pages devoted to describing buildings and artifacts at the various Maya sites; I would have preferred more information on the overall cultural significance rather than a physical description. Overall, this book was informative.
2 people found this helpful
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Frrederick R. Hume
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and balanced
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
Coe provides a comprehensive of the Maya civilization and culture from its earliest roots through the conquest and to the present. He strikes a balance in presenting multiple perspectives on controversial issues. The eighth edition seems fresh with the latest insights.
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Heilwig
1.0 out of 5 stars Annoyed.
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
I bought this as a text book for one of my classes this semester. This is the specific edition that my teacher had told us we needed, so I ordered it. So I'm sure at least some of you can understand my disappointment when I opened the package to find that they had sent me the 6th edition and not the 8th. This happened to me last semester with a french textbook I bought on here as well. If I had wanted the old edition, I would have purchased it. Although the books have only a few differences, that's a few differences too many when you're a college student that doesn't have the time to go searching through the book for things that only the newer edition has.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

linda thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
Came ahead of schedule, thank you as I am off to Mexico next week. Only quickly glanced through so not sure how in depth it is but looks adequate for a beginner t learn a bout the temples and ruins she is going to visit. Already thinking about changing travel route slightly to visit ruins I hadn't even heard of. very happy with purchase.
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AnC
5.0 out of 5 stars History at its best
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2015
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Being passionate about the Maya civilisation, I cannot praise more this book, beautifully written and very informative. This is the kind of writing that brings history into life again. Well done
One person found this helpful
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maureen Diane Galvani
5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2018
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A great purchase, very happy with it, dispatched quickly, many thanks
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Dot
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2014
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Thanks
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Slinger
3.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Maya History
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2012
Verified Purchase
With a holiday to Mexico to look forward to I thought it would be a good idea to learn a little something about the local history whilst soaking up the sun but this book is not a casual read for the beach. It is well written with lots of detailed information but to appreciate it fully I think you either have to be heavily into cultural history in general or have a specific interest in the Maya. I have no regrets about the purchase and will keep the book to read again when I can't afford a holiday.
One person found this helpful
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