Maya History

The Maya has long been established as the best, most accessible introduction to the New World's greatest ancient civilization. Coe and Houston update this classic by distilling the latest scholarship for the general listener and student.

Are the Mayans still around? What is the importance of Chichen Itza’s discovery? How did this mighty civilization fall? If you want answers to these intriguing questions, then pay attention....

The Maya forged one of the greatest societies in the history of the ancient Americas and in all of human history. Long before contact with Europeans, Maya communities built spectacular cities with large, well-fed large populations. They mastered the visual arts, and developed a sophisticated writing system that recorded extraordinary knowledge in calendrics, mathematics, and astronomy. The Maya achieved all this without area-wide centralized control.

In this new Captivating History audiobook, you will discover amazing little-known facts about the Mayans as well as the truth about their remarkable history.

Discover the remarkable history of the Maya Civilization...For more than one thousand years, the Maya people dominated areas of Central America and modern-day Mexico and made important advances in architecture, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Then, after the Spanish occupation in the 16th century, Maya culture and thinking were deliberately suppressed. Only in the 20th century did scientists appreciate just how advanced these people had been and how important they were in the history of Mesoamerica.

Hidden in the lush vegetation of the Central American rainforest lie the remnants of the Mayan civilisation. These ruins bear witness to a thriving society that flourished for almost four millennia. Here, rulers presided over communities with millions of inhabitants, scholars developed advanced mathematical calendars, and slaves toiled to raise pyramids so towering that they surpassed even the great structures of the Egyptians. Yet, inexplicably, the Mayans vanished from their cities, and their once-mighty civilization faded into obscurity.

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century. The Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate the West today. But of all the world's civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. In 2012 especially, there was a renewed focus on the Mayans, whose advanced calendar led many to speculate the world would end on the same date the Mayan calendar ends.

In 1839 rumors of extraordinary yet baffling stone ruins buried within the unmapped jungles of Central America reached two of the world's most intrepid travelers. Seized by the reports, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwood sailed together out of New York Harbor on an expedition into the forbidding rainforests of present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. What they found would rewrite the West's understanding of human history.

The Mayans maintained power in the Yucatan for over 1,000 years, and at the height of its Classical era, the city of Tikal was one of the power centers of the empire. Archaeologists believe Tikal had been built as early as the fifth or fourth century BC. Eventually it became a political, economic, and military capital that was an important part of a far-flung network across Mesoamerica.

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century. The Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate the West today. But of all the world’s civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. In 2012 especially, there has been a renewed focus on the Mayans, whose calendar has led many to speculate the world will end on the same date the Mayan calendar ends. The focus on the “doomsday” scenario, however, has overshadowed the Mayans’ true contribution.

Around 2,000 years ago, the Maya people were raising pyramids to house their many gods and to bury their kings. This is just one of the special secrets uncovered by archaeologists in their stunning finds in parts of Central America. More than anything, the Maya left us with many questions. It’s the job of scientists and archaeologists to explain how a thriving people came to such a quick end. There are no simple answers, but we can discover so much with a shovel and brushes! Come, explore this fascinating civilization with us - and don’t forget your Indiana Jones hat!

Los mayas crearon una sociedad asombrosa, llena de sorpresas que nos mantienen adivinando cómo llegó a ser este pueblo y por qué - exactamente - cayó su civilización. Abundan las teorías, los descubrimientos arqueológicos nos dejan perplejos e inspirados, pero una cosa es cierta: ¡su historia se parece mucho más a nuestro pasado reciente de lo que jamás nos hubiéramos imaginado! Acompáñenos a profundizar en la historia de los mayas, descubriendo historias, hechos y teorías sobre esta importante - aunque desconcertante - sociedad:

The Popol Vuh is undoubtedly the most important Maya text that survived the systematic destruction of the Maya codices at the hands of the Spanish. This is the definitive edition of the Popol Vuh, a new translation that makes the text accessible and enjoyable to listen to.

Mayan Astronomy: The History of the Maya’s Measurements of the Planets and Stars examines what is known and unknown about the Maya’s astronomy, and why their astronomy was among the most accurate in the world.

In Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell argues that 1898 might be a year just as crucial to our nation's identity, a year when, in an orgy of imperialism, the United States annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and invaded Cuba and then the Philippines, becoming a meddling, self-serving, militaristic international superpower practically overnight. Of all the countries the United States invaded or colonized in 1898, Vowell considers the story of the Americanization of Hawaii to be the most intriguing.

If you want to discover the captivating history of Mesoamerica, then check out this four-in-one audiobook. You'll learn all about the Olmec, Zapotec, Mayan, and Aztec people.

This book will take you on a journey through the past, discovering the secrets of the Maya that have been lost to time. Explore the culture and traditions that have shaped the history of the Maya.

En la última década o dos, ha habido un aumento de interés en la historia maya. Esto fue en parte alimentado por la mítica predicción maya del fin del mundo en 2012, que por un corto período de tiempo puso a esta civilización bajo la atención de los medios de comunicación. Pero hay mucho más en su cultura que la idea errónea común sobre su calendario.

The history of Mesoamerica is rich, complex, and filled with mystery. But for too long, it has been misrepresented, misunderstood, and overlooked. Embark on a journey of discovery through Mesoamerican history, culture, mythology, and beyond! But be warned—this audiobook is not for the faint of heart.

In March 1942, 25-year-old kindergarten teacher Magda Hellinger and nearly a thousand other young women were deported as some of the first Jews to be sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The SS soon discovered that by putting prisoners in charge of the day-to-day accommodation blocks, they could deflect attention away from themselves. Magda was one such prisoner selected for leadership and put in charge of hundreds of women in the notorious Experimental Block 10. She found herself constantly walking a dangerously fine line: saving lives while avoiding suspicion by the SS.