Title: Xibalba
Subtitle: In Search of the Lost Mayan Texts
Description: In 16th Century Mexico, the Spanish bishop Diego Landa orders the destruction of all
the Mayan books and artifacts. However, the shaman Red Snail manages to escape
the mythical city of Chichén Itzá and heads towards the Lacandon jungle with the
intention of saving two texts and a stone stele. With the little time that he has, he hides
the books in a cave before being captured by the Spanish. Despite being tortured,
he dies without telling his secret.
Five hundred years later, an ancient stele appears in the Smithsonian Institute in
Washington. The archaeologist Karen Dumas manages to decipher its contents: the
message reveals the location of the lost Mayan books. She travels to San Cristóbal
de las Casas, in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, to meet with the archaeologist David
Wolf. Together they will begin and exhilarating searcha marked with adventure,
suspense, intrigue, and love in a country dominated by drug trafficking and the
Zapatista guerrillas.
Subjects: Mayans, archaeology, Mexico, suspense fiction, Zapatistas
Places: Washington DC, Omaha, San Cristobal de las Casas, Palenque, Acapulco
People: Bishop Landa
Time periods: 1994