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Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed

Written by: Edwin Barnhart, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Edwin Barnhart
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Publisher's Summary

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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC
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What listeners say about Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed

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are insightful look into a bygone era

the information was so detailed, and each lecture so well thought out. I learned so much about the Mayan and Aztec people, going back a few thousand years right up until today. and with all of the cities mentioned in Mexico, it makes me want to go and discover them myself.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Good course with some structural issues

Professor Barnhart presents some fascinating information about one of the least understood areas of the world. His passion for his subject is evident and that keeps the listener engaged. unfortunately, I found that much of the information in this course is easily forgettable. As someone who is rather ignorant about Maya and Aztec history, I did not feel that this lecture supported my learning well. Often, Barnhart goes through the information once, but there is little to no reinforcement of that information.

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Informative and awesome #Audible1

I listened to this course before I spent a month in Mexico City. I also listened to it as I went threw the Mexico City anthropology museum.
Can’t really find words for how much richer my experience was.

Worth the listen! #Audible1

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Great course!

I really enjoyed this. A very thorough and impartial look at all the cultures that preceded ours in South & Central America.

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Excellent Course

I found this Great Course on Ancient Mesoamerica to be very informative and easy to listen to.

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Great Overview and Modern Perspective

He is a lecturer, and these are done as lectures, that is where the performance suffers a little, I also found his pace excruciatingly slow but of course you can always speed it up. But that's the only bad part!

An excellent survey of mesoamerican indigenous studies, Dr Barnhart choses to focus on the people of Mesoamerica rather than the people who unveiled it. Tackling each subject from a variety of angles, and forthcoming about his own biases, it was interesting, honest and comprehensive from start to finish,.. well as comprehensive as 6000 yrs of history can be in compact into 23 hours.

I certainly recommend this listening!

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Wonderful information

So much well laid out information
Fun listen
Been to many of these places over the years
If you have any interest in this topic it’s a great addition to add to your mind!

Will listen to this more then once
Thank you! Really enjoyed this audio book

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Very informative

This lecture was excellent and I enjoyed it a lot. My only issue was information was out of chronological order at times so it made it more difficult to follow.

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Satisfying, tantalizing and curiosity igniting

This course is an excellent source of information about Mesoamerican history and archaeology. If you have ever been to any part of the Mexica, Olmeca, Zapoteco or Maya lands, if you have met the wonderful peoples who inhabit this part of the world today, if you have been to any of the ruin sites, if you are fascinated by the ancient stories of this land and the living traditions... or if you just dream about coming here, then you will love this course. These lectures make me feel like an archaeologist myself, they communicate so much wonder, enthusiasm and curiosity. I enjoyed the professor's easy going and humourous and professional style. And it ends on such an inspiring note of endless discovery. Thank you very much!

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lots to learn here

somewhat repetitive ,overly interesting,a fascinating look into mid american history.Edie B. owes the world a follow up once li
dar points out his next target for survey ,and enlighten us once more.

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1 person found this helpful