Royal cities of the ancient Maya
By: Michael D. Coe ; photographs by Barry Brukoff
Contributors: Brukoff, Barry, illustrator
Publisher: Vendome Press; The Vendome Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 223
ISBN-13: 9780865652842
Subjects: Maya architecture; Antiquities; Mayas
Description: Traces the rise and fall of Maya civilization through its great royal cities, from El Mirador, the largest and oldest, to the rival city-states of the Classical period such as Tikal, Calakmul, Yaxchilán, Palenque, Toniná, and Copán. He then moves on to the great cities of the Terminal Classic period; at a time when the mighty centers of the southern lowlands were in a steep decline, cities to the north such as Uxmal and Kabah achieved a pinnacle of architectural beauty. After that he turns to the Postclassic period and Chichén Itzá in central Yucatán, a huge, cosmopolitan city that flourished during a military and cultural takeover by the Toltecs of central Mexico.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.