Ancient Americas: Mesoamerican History & Civilization

JAGUAR BOOKPLATES (Sample available)
art by Julioaldana. Condition: NEW package of 10 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. We can also personalize the bookplates if you like - email us the name you want on the bookplate. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 2.5" H x 3.5" W. Content: The representation of jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures has a long history, with iconographic examples dating back to at least the mid-Formative period of Mesoamerican chronology. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is an animal with a prominent association and appearance in the cultures and belief systems of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies. All major Mesoamerican civilizations prominently featured a jaguar god, and for many, such as the Olmec, the jaguar was an important part of shamanism. The jaguar is important for shamans who often associate the jaguar as a spirit companion or nagual, which will protect the shamans from evil spirits and while they move between the earth and the spirit realm. (Wikipedia). Any questions or for a sample, click here to email us.
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MAYA CALENDAR BOOKPLATES (T'ZOLKIN BOOKPLATES) (Sample available)
art by Airi Pung. Condition: NEW package of 10 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get at anywhere else. We can also personalize the bookplates if you like - just email us with the name. 3.3" H x 3.3" W. Content: This is a rendering of the Maya Calendar (T'zolkin) from ancient carvings with time divisions. Any questions or for a sample, click here to email us.
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QUETZAL BOOKPLATES (Sample available)
art by I. Skorupych. Condition: NEW package of 10 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. We can also personalize the bookplates if you like - email us the name you want on the bookplate. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 3.5" H x 3.5" W. Content: Revered throughout ancient Mesoamerica and parts of South America, the Quetzal is a beautiful large bird of many colors. The name is from Nahuatl quetzalli, "large brilliant tail feather" (Wikipedia). This representation is a bit of a "stylized" Quetzal. Any questions or for a sample, click here to email us.
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THE ANCIENT AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS (History of Civilization series)
by Friedrich Katz. B&W drawings. Cover photo: Mask representing the god Quezalcoatl, Aztec, c. 1500. Condition: NEW 2000 Phoenix Press Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: Originally published in Germany in 1969. Ever since Columbus set foot on American soil ("invaded" is the correct term), and convinced he had reached India, called the native populations Indians, the origins of the aboriginal inhabitants have been hotly debated. There are few empires about which such contradictory ideas persist as those of the Inca and the Aztecs. Katz Begins his study of the ancient American civilizations - spanning the vast period from the first peoples, thirty-five to fifty thousand years ago, to the Spanish Conquest of 1517 - with a discussion of the sources of our knowledge. He describes the inhabitants, their agriculture - and the cultural sphere of Mesoamerica. Tracing the development of the civilizations of pre-Columbian America from village communities to prosperous city states, this is a fascinating account of how these civilizations culminated in the magnificent empires of the Aztecs and Inca. [1 copy available]
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THE ANCIENT EARTHWORKS AND TEMPLES OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS
by Lindesey Brine. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Oracle Publishing (London), first printing. Tiny edgewear with light tanning to page edges. Name inside front cover. Content: Originally published in England in c. 1894. In 1969 an English naval officer set sail from Liverpool, intending to visit the pre-Columbian monuments of Northern and Central America. Only three years had elapsed since the American Civil War had put an end to slavery and large parts of the continent were still inhabited by native peoples, living in the traditional way. This book is the record of his epic journey, by river steamer and mule train, and is based on the diaries he kept at the time. It covers the major archaeological sites of North America, from the huge prehistoric earthworks of Ohio to the hidden Aztec temples of Mexico, with visits to the lands of the Shoshone, the Sioux, the Pawnee and the Dakotas, among many others. An intriguing tour of the great civilizations of the Americas, both ancient and recent, this personal account offers the armchair traveller the opportunity to experience all the excitement of exploration and discovery more than a hundred years ago. Excellent!!! [1 copy available]
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ANCIENT MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
by The American Museum of Natural H istory. Intro by Gordon Ekholm. B&W and color photos by Lee Boltin. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, c. 1970 American Museum of Natural History soft cover, second printing. Edgewear and very light shelf wear. Content: This is a visual and written history of the artifacts that were in the American Museum of Natural H istory in the 1970s. The artifacts are grouped by city (Reotihuacan, etc.) and by peoples (Toltects, Mayas, etc.). This is really a wonderful book! [1 copy available]
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL MEXICO: A Traveler's Guide to Ancient Cities and Sacred Sites
by Andrew Coe. Beautiful color photos, B&W photos, and detailed site maps. Condition: NEW 2001 Avalon Travel large Trade Paperback (1.5 lbs, 469 pages), second printing. Content: This guide is a must for anyone interested in personally exploring Mexico's prehistoric ruins. Author Andrew Coe takes an in-depth look at Mesoamerican culture, from the early mammoth hunters to the magnificent civilizations encountered by Cortes, and explores the newest and most exciting scientific theories on each site. Review by archaeologist Richard Diehl: "This is the best guide book to Mexico's archaeological sites written in the 20th century. As a professional archaeologist who has worked in Mexico since 1961, I have visited virtually every archaeological site he describes and read almost every guide book published in English or Spanish. Coe is accurate, informative, and interesting. This book will be in my backpack on every trip to Mexico in the future." There have been some changes (i.e., the new paved road from Palenque all the way along the Guatemala border to Lagunas de Montebello. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF MESOAMERICA: Mexican and European Perspectives
by Warwick Bray and Linda Manzanilla (Editors). Color & B&W photos, maps, drawings. Condition: NEW 1999 British Museum Press trade paperback, first printing. Content: Since the 19th century, scholas in Mexico, Europe and North America have been studying the development and demise of the civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica. Discoveries made over the last 20 years have provided new insights into all the different groups which flourished in the region. In February of 1995 the Museum brought together a group of eminent European and Mexican scholas to discuss the present state of research ini Mesoamerican studies. This volume brings together seven papers given at that conference, uncovering new findings in 3 major geographical regions of Mesoamerica: the Highlands, the Gulf Coast and the Maya territory. Contributors: Linda Manzanilla, Leonardo Lopes Lujan, Gordon brotherston, John Gledhill, Norman Hammond, Nikolai Grube, Ponciano Ortiz Ceballos, and M. del Carmen Rodriguez. Essential readings! Questions welcome. [3 copies available]
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THE ART OF MESOAMERICA: From Olmec to Aztec (Revised Edition)
by Mary Ellen Miller. Wonderful color & B&W photos, maps, drawings. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Thames & Hudson Trade Paperback, revised edition. Content: This revised edition of a noted pre-Columbian art history book will satisfy various types of readers, including travelers, armchair archaeologists, museum goers, and art history students. Inspired by new discoveries in archaeology and by major museum exhibitions, Miller (history of art, Yale) covers Mesoamerica's broad range of cultures, from Olmec to Aztec; geographic areas, including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and the Yucatan; and time periods, from archaic to postclassic. She explains how architecture, sculpture, painting, and ceramics relate to the dynamic forces of advance and decline within each culture and pays special attention to recent hieroglyphic decipherments and evidence for dating. The publication is enhanced by 193 pages of illustrations and beautiful color photography on quality paper. Covers all periods of the art of ancient Central America. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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AZTEC (Endless Path Series) [Aztec & Mesoamerican Art]
by Rachel Storm. Absolutely beautiful color photos illustrate. Condition: NEW 2006 Flame Tree (London) soft cover 384 pages), first printing. Glossy, thick paper makes this a beautifully produced book - and heavy! Content: As part of a new series celebrating philosophies and civilizations of the world, "Endless Path Aztec" explores the rich culture of the Aztecs, the pre-Columbian people of Mesoamerica who thrived from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. With the help of beautiful illustrations the reader is taken back to learn about their vibrant and complex life, art and rituals. Includes Olmec, Toltec, and Zapotec civilizations. Beautiful and informative. [1 copy available]
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CODEX BODLEY: A Painted Chronicle from the Mixtec Highlands, Mexico (Treasures from the Bodleian Library)
by M. Jansen and G. A. Perez Jimenez. Beautiful, large Codex renderings. Condition: NEW 2005 Bodleian Library coffee-table-book size hardcover & DJ (if I can find the right size mylar jacket, I will put one on it), first edition. Slightly different DJ from the one shown. Content: Painted shortly before the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521, the Codex Bodley has been long recognized as one of the most important Mixtec manuscripts and a premier example of native Mixtec pictorial historiography in all its complexity. The complete manuscript of the Codex Bodley is offered here for the very first time in a single illustrated volume. Codex Bodley explores the enormous wealth of information contained in the manuscript, which documents precolonial Mixtec genealogical relationships and historical events spanning from 900 AD to 1521. Maarten Jansen and Gabina Aurora Pérez Jiménez provide insightful and expert commentary on the manuscript, explaining its history as they consider key characteristics of Mixtec pictography. They then provide an engaging and masterful interpretation of the manuscript's narrative, with a detailed explanatory reading of its pictograms and their significance. Accompanied by vivid and colorful illustrations, Codex Bodley is an invaluable text for scholars of precolonial Mexican history, art, and culture. Beautiful and informative. [1 copy available]
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CONVERSING WITH THE PLANETS: How Science and Myth Invented the Cosmos
by Anthony Aveni. B&W photos, charts, & Maya language charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 1994 Kodansha International Trade Paperback, first thus, first printing. Content: Probably the best book on the subject. "Aveni, a professor of astronomy and anthropology at Colgate University, seeks here to integrate--in his view, reintegrate--the rational universe with a more comforting model that takes into account "the interrelationship between matter and spirit." Such ancient astronomically inclined peoples as the Babylonians and the Mayans, he argues, made direct connections between events in the night sky and those on earth, and hence between nature and culture. The Mayans, for example, used their observations of the path of Venus to create a culturally useful myth about planting." For those interested in Mesoamerican archeoastronomy, this is an invaluable point of view for study. [1 copy available]
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THE CULT OF THE CAT
by Nicholas J. Saunders. 130 color & B&W photos and drawings. Condition: NEW 1991 Thames & Hudson large softcover, first printing. Content: Cats belong to a supernatural world of poetency and prowess. They are the survivors, the creatures most at home in their environment, the fastest and most successful predators on earth. Since Alexander, kings have hunted them; Hercules and David conquered them and wore their skins. The Egyptians worshipped them as goddesses; the shamans and sorcerers of Central Africa and South America took on their shapes to gain entry to the spirit realm; the the dark circle of witchcraft they are the envoys of Satan. Tamed, they remain free, our link with the superhuman in the wild. Between the feline and the human worlds has developed a mysterious rapport expressed in magic, in folk belief, and in the continuing presence of countless millions of pet cats as the objects of everyday worship. [1 copy available]
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CYCLES OF THE SUN, MYSTERIES OF THE MOON: The Calendar in Mesoamerican Civilization
by Vincent Malmstrom. Loaded with B&W photos, maps, and charts. Condition: NEW 1997 Univ. of Texas Press trade paperback, first edition. Content: The simple question "How did the Maya come up with a calendar that had only 260 days?" led Vincent Malmström to discover an unexpected "hearth" of Mesoamerican culture. In this boldly revisionist book, he sets forth his challenging, new view of the origin and diffusion of Mesoamerican calendrical systems--the intellectual achievement that gave rise to Mesoamerican civilization and culture. Malmström posits that the 260-day calendar marked the interval between passages of the sun at its zenith over Izapa, an ancient ceremonial center in the Soconusco region of Mexico's Pacific coastal plain. He goes on to show how the calendar developed by the Zoque people of the region in the fourteenth century B.C. gradually diffused through Mesoamerica into the so-called "Olmec metropolitan area" of the Gulf coast and beyond to the Maya in the east and to the plateau of Mexico in the west. These findings challenge our previous understanding of the origin and diffusion of Mesoamerican civilization. Sure to provoke lively debate in many quarters, this book will be important reading for all students of ancient Mesoamerica--anthropologists, archaeologists, archaeoastronomers, geographers, and the growing public fascinated by all things Maya. Reviewer: "Malmstrom has written a wonderfully entertaining book stuffed full of facts on the Mesoamerican systems of calendrical accounting. I had no idea the history of their calendars went so far back, nor that they were so widely used by such a great number of civilizations. His theories fill in where the facts leave off, as most studies on ancient cultures must, and the facts support his hypotheses. Malmstrom's theories on the origin of the calendar are quite different in some aspects than those of scholars before him -- one major difference is that he does not believe the Olmec developed the calendar. I don't want to ruin any surprises for a reader -- and there are some for those who accept the commonly supported theories of the Olmec as the "father" of all subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations -- so I will stop with just one more comment: If you have any interest in Mesoamerica or the cultures of the Zoque, Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Mixtec, Toltec or Aztec, GET THIS BOOK! " [1 copy available]
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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS: Exploe the Wonders of the Aztec, Maya, Inca, North American Indians & Arctic Peoples
by Jen Green, Fiona MacDonald, Philip Steele, Michael Stotter. Beautiful, historically accurate, color illustrations. Detailed "how-to" color photos. Condition: NEW 2001 Southwater huge, over-size soft cover, first printing. Shipping weight 3.5 pounds. Content: Reviewer: "There are 4 large sections: Aztec & Maya, Incas, North American Indians, and Arctic Peoples. Each section is set up rather like a DK book, with several color photos (and a few drawings) and text around them. There is lots of information about how each group of people lived, what they believed, some of their history, etc. There are several craft activities for each section, as well. The weakest section is the North American section, since the information for all groups is together. While readers are informed of the different types of homes, clothing, and general lifestyle between the various cultures, there is little information on any specific culture. Readers wanting information on a particular group (Cherokee, Navajo, etc.) will need an additional source. Overall, this is a very good beginning place for learning about ancient American cultures & peoples, especially for children from 5-12 years old (With 5 year olds looking at the pictures and being told a little, and perhaps doing a few crafts with help, and older children reading the text for themselves and doing the crafts alone). After reading the appropriate section of this book, readers will be ready to learn more about whatever specific group they are interested in." This is an excellent book. Over 800 photos & illustrations, including inside-view artworks of homes of the past; exciting historical models to make at home or school; and pictorial maps and timelines. For junior high and up, but all ages will appreciate, IMHO. [1 copy available]
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A FAVORED PLACE: San Juan River Wetlands, Central Veracruz, A.D. 500 to the Present
by Alfred H. Siemens. B&W photos, charts, drawings, and maps illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1998 UT Press (Austin) hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. Content: The wetlands of the San Juan Basin in Central Veracruz, Mexico, were a favored place for their ancient inhabitants. Around the fifth century A.D., Prehispanic people built an extensive network of canals and raised fields along the margins of lakes and rivers that allowed for almost year-round intensive agriculture. Alfred Siemens' discovery of the remaining traces of this ancient agricultural system in the 1970s led him to uncover fifteen centuries of land-use history in the region. This book contains a full record of his findings. Siemens' research contributes to knowledge in several fields. It adds a significant environmental dimension to our understanding of the Mesoamerican-European encounter in the sixteenth and succeeding centuries. And it offers a model of an ancient agricultural system that could still be used to aid in the subsistence of marginalized rural people in many tropical lowland areas. Amplified with original air oblique photography, maps, and tables, and enriched with data from both archaeology and colonial archives, this book is an authoritative historical geography of a wetland landscape. Or, in the author's more modest words, "In unbuttoned moments, it seems to me that what I have here is a biography of a swamp." [1 copy available]
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FRIAR BRINGAS REPORTS TO THE KING: Methods of Indoctrination on the Frontier of New Spain 1796-97
by Father Miguel Bringas de Manzaneda y Encinas, O.F.M. Translated & Edited by Daniel S. Matson and Bernard L. Fontana. B&W maps & decorations. Condition: NEW 1977 Univ. of Arizona Press Trade Paperback edition, no printing given. Most likely this book was produced in the 80s - 90s. The color on the cover is weak - several small rubbings front cover. Interior perfect. Content: When Friar Bringas penned his report on conditions in northwestern New Spain, he was imbued with an enthusiastic drive for reform. Hoping to gain the King of Spain's support in improving the missionary program, Bringas set down a detailed history of all that had happened in the region since Father Kino's day. His writings offer a valuable firsthand stufy of Spanish attempts to direct culture change among the Piman Indians. He carefully explained various missionary and secular policies, laws, and regulations. He pointed out why, in his opinion, Spanish efforts to convert the Pkman Indians had failed. He also provided a report of the orders establishing the ill-fated Yuma missions. His fascinating account of the Gila River Pimas is one of the most complete ethnographic descriptions of the time. This is an important study of Spain's attemps to assimilate the Indians. It offers a deeper understanding of the history of the Pimeria Alta. Fascinating! [1 copy available]
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FRIAR BRINGAS REPORTS TO THE KING: Methods of Indoctrination on the Frontier of New Spain 1796-97
by Father Miguel Bringas de Manzaneda y Encinas, O.F.M. Translated & Edited by Daniel S. Matson and Bernard L. Fontana. B&W maps & decorations. Condition: Gently pre-read (to about page 20) 1977 Univ. of Arizona Press Trade Paperback edition, no printing given. Most likely this book was produced in the 80s - 90s. The color on the cover is weak - several small rubbings front cover. Interior clean & tight. Content: When Friar Bringas penned his report on conditions in northwestern New Spain, he was imbued with an enthusiastic drive for reform. Hoping to gain the King of Spain's support in improving the missionary program, Bringas set down a detailed history of all that had happened in the region since Father Kino's day. His writings offer a valuable firsthand stufy of Spanish attempts to direct culture change among the Piman Indians. He carefully explained various missionary and secular policies, laws, and regulations. He pointed out why, in his opinion, Spanish efforts to convert the Pkman Indians had failed. He also provided a report of the orders establishing the ill-fated Yuma missions. His fascinating account of the Gila River Pimas is one of the most complete ethnographic descriptions of the time. This is an important study of Spain's attemps to assimilate the Indians. It offers a deeper understanding of the history of the Pimeria Alta. Fascinating! [1 copy available]
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GODS OF EDEN: Egypt's Lost Legacy and the Genesis of Civilization
by Andrew Collins. B&W illustrations. Condition: NEW 2001 Bear & Company Trade Paperback, first printing. (Originally printed in London 1998). Tiny edgewear. Wonderful B&W photos, drawings, charts, "floor plans," and maps. Content: In his book From the Ashes of Angels, Andrew Collins provided historical and scientific evidence showing how Elder gods, who were the flesh and blood members of a race of fallen angels, founded ancient Egypt. Now, in this book, he describes the remarkable achievements of their culture. Assembling clues from archaeology, mythology, and religion, Collins shows us how this great society mastered acoustic technology and spread Egyptian technology of all types to the other ancient civilizations of the world - especially pyramid builders. Interesting! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE GREAT PYRAMID DECODED
by Peter Lemesurier. B&W drawings, charts, and photos illustrate. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 2001 Element (UK) large soft cover, reprint. Light edge wear with binder's thin glue strings down spine. Interior clean. Content: White this is primarily about Egypt, there are sections on the pyramids of the Ancient Americas. For over 40 centuries, the Great Pyramid of Giza has baffled mankind as to its purpose. This book suggests that the design of the pyramid derives from a simple number code. When the pyramid is "decoded", the message that unfolds seems to be a blueprint for mankind that can be compared with the more recent prophecies of St Malachy, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce and others. The author has also uncovered links between the pyramid's picture of Man's place in the universe and the religious traditions of Egypt, Palestine, India, and even Central America. [1 copy available]
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A GUIDE TO MEXICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
by Roman Pisa Chan. B&W drawings and photos; color photos and maps. Condition: Good only, c. 1971 Minutae Mexicana paperback, no printing given. Content: This book, although old, is wonderful source of photos - some I've never seen before. Chan takes the reader through the ages of Mescoamerican archaeology, beginning with the Remote Ages & the Pre-Classic Horizon to the Post-Classic Horizon. Informative and easy to read. Strikes me as a book that was probably sold at archaeological tourist sites in Mexico. Older, but worth it. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL IN CENTRAL AMERICA, CHIAPAS & YUCATAN
by John L. Stephens. Intro by Michael Schmidt. B&W drawings (by the Author). Condition: This book is a mixed-condition book. UNREAD, but not perfect, c. 1988 Century Trade Paperback. Cover: edge wear with a tag removal mark bottom front near hinge (see the scan). This was an unshelved ex-library book with markings. Interior clean & tight. Content: Originally published in 1841. At two o'clock, under a brilliant moonlight, and with a single guide, we started for the Pacific. The road was level and wooded. We passed a trapiche or sugar-mill, worked by oxen, and before daylight reached the village of Masagua, four leagues distant, built in a clearing cut out of the woods, at the entrance of which we stopped under a grove of orange-trees, and by the light of the moon filled our pockets and alforgas with the shining fruit. Daylight broke upon us in a forest of gigantic trees, from seventy-five to a hundred feet high, and from twenty to twenty-five feet in circumference, with creepers winding around their trunks and hanging from the branches. The road was merely a path through the forest, formed by cutting away shrubs and branches. The freshness of the morning was delightful. -from Chapter XIII As a Special Ambassador to Central America in 1839, American diplomat and writer JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS (1805-1852) witnessed civil war, explored Mayan ruins, and even bought a city for $50. He turned his real-life adventures in the jungles and villages of that fabled land into this classic of travel literature. Originally published in two volumes in 1841-and followed up by 1843's Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (also available from Cosimo)-Stephen's enthralling exploits introduced American and European readers to the mysteries of the Maya sites. Complemented by beautiful illustrations by English artist and architect FREDERICK CATHERWOOD (1799-1854), also included in this new edition, Stephens' evocative prose reads like the best adventure fiction, and continues to delight readers today. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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AN ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF THE GODS AND SYMBOLS OF ANCIENT MEXICO AND THE MAYA
by Mary Miller and Karl Taube. B&W drawings, Codex entries, mpas & photos illustrate. Condition: NEW 1997 Thames & Hudson Trade Paperback, no printing given. Content: The myths and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest. Yet, until now, no single-volume introduction has existed to act as a guide to this labyrinthine symbolic world. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya is the first-ever English-language dictionary of Mesoamerican mythology and religion. Nearly 300 entries, from accession to yoke, describe the main gods and symbols of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs. Topics range from jaguar and jester gods to reptile eye and rubber, from creation accounts and sacred places to ritual practices such as bloodletting, confession, dance, and pilgrimage. In addition, two introductory essays provide succinct accounts of Mesoamerican history and religion, while a substantial bibliographical survey directs the reader to original sources and recent discussions. Dictionary entries are illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned line drawings. Miller and Taube draw on their research in the fast-changing field of Maya studies, and on the latest Mexican discoveries, to produce an authoritative work that will serve as a standard reference for students, scholars, and travelers. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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IN THE TRAIL OF THE WIND: American Indian Poems and Ritual Orations
edited by John Bierhorst. B&W artwork throughout. Condition: UNREAD, BUT NOT PERFECT, 1972 Farrar, Straus hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), second printing. Problems: book was a gift so - DJ is price-clipped with a gift inscription on the loose end page (which could be covered with a bookplate). Light edge wear to top DJ edge. Interior clean & tight. Content: A story--and history--reaching back thousands of years unfolds in this diverse and unusual collection of Native American poetry, which gathers dozens of works that have been translated from over forty languages. Representing all the best-known Indian peoples of North and South America, In the Trail of the Wind is a cross-cultural anthology--the first of its kind--that brings into focus the similarities between tribes as widely separated as the Sioux and the Aztec, the Cherokee and the ancient Maya. Here we find an array of omens, battle songs, orations, love lyrics, prayers, dreams, and mysteries incantations. Beginning with the origin of the earth and the emergence of humanity, the sequence of poems proceeds through that rituals of birth, love, war, and death to the foreshadowing of the Conquest, the days of despair, and, finally, the apocalyptic visions of a new life. Editor Bierhorst also offers a detailed Introduction; a richly thorough Notes section on the translators, meanings, contexts, and specific references of these poems; and a complete Glossary of Tribes, Cultures, and Languages. In the Trail of the Wind concludes with a Suggestions for Further Reading page. [1 copy available]
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THE LEGEND OF LORD EIGHT DEER: An Epic of Ancient Mexico (Mixtec Lore)
Retold and illustrated by John M. D. Pohl, Ph.D. Color illustrations. Condition: NEW 2002 Oxford University Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket). First edition, first printing. Content: With a basis in historical fact, the story cycle of Lord Eight Deer, Iya Nacuaa in his own language, is retold from the Mixtec codices. A complex tale, replete with murder, adultery, and dynastic ambitions, the retelling is epic in structure. The language has the cadence of oral telling, a detailed chronology, a pictorial directory of main characters, and a family tree-events and relationships. Pohl's illustrations are excellent, rendered in the Mesoamerican style seen in the Codex Zouche-Nuttall, upon which much of this story is based. The darkly outlined, iconic figures are reproduced in vibrant colors and strong lines. Informational pages, inserted every 8 to 10 pages and illustrated with color photos and reproductions, give background on Mixtec culture as it has been reconstructed from archaeological evidence. A final chapter, "The Story Behind the Story," recounts Pohl's experience in using information from the Mixtec codices to locate archaeological remains and verify the factual nature of some of the events recounted in the Eight Deer story cycle. Recommended for grades 8 and up, I believe this can be appreciated (with some guidance) by younger readers as well. [1 copy left]
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THE LOST REALMS (The Earth Chronicles, Book 4)
by Zecharia Sitchin. B&W maps & drawings illustrate. Condition: Gently pre-read, if at all, 1990 Avon paperback, 7th printing. Tiny edgewear. Interior clean & tight. Content: In the sixteenth century, Spanish conquerors came to the New World in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Instead, they encountered inexplicable phenomena that have puzzled scholars and historians ever since: massive stone edifices constructed in the Earth's most inaccessible regions ... great monuments forged with impossible skill and unknown tools ... intricate carvings describing the events and topography of half a world away. In this, the remarkable and thoroughly researched fourth volume of The Earth Chronicles, author Sitchin uncovers the long-hidden secrets of the lost civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas and offers documentation of the giant gods who spawned the greatness of the Incans, Mayans, and Aztecs -- the Anunnaki -- "those who from Heaven to Earth came." Sitchin was born in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, and raised in Palestine, where he acquired a knowledge of modern and ancient Hebrew, other Semitic and European languages, the Old Testament, and the history and archaeology of the Near East. Sitchin graduated from the University of London, majoring in economic history. A journalist and editor in Israel for many years, he now lives and writes in New York. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE LOST REALMS (The Earth Chronicles, Book 4)
by Zecharia Sitchin. B&W maps, drawings, and charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 1990 Avon paperback, 9th printing. Content: In the sixteenth century, Spanish conquerors came to the New World in search of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. Instead, they encountered inexplicable phenomena that have puzzled scholars and historians ever since: massive stone edifices constructed in the Earth's most inaccessible regions ... great monuments forged with impossible skill and unknown tools ... intricate carvings describing the events and topography of half a world away. In this, the remarkable and thoroughly researched fourth volume of The Earth Chronicles, author Sitchin uncovers the long-hidden secrets of the lost civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas and offers documentation of the giant gods who spawned the greatness of the Incans, Mayans, and Aztecs -- the Anunnaki -- "those who from Heaven to Earth came." Sitchin was born in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, and raised in Palestine, where he acquired a knowledge of modern and ancient Hebrew, other Semitic and European languages, the Old Testament, and the history and archaeology of the Near East. Sitchin graduated from the University of London, majoring in economic history. A journalist and editor in Israel for many years, he now lives and writes in New York. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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MASKS OF THE SPIRIT: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica
by Roberta H. Markman and Peter T. Markman. Introduction by Joseph Campbell. Color photos & B&W photos & maps. Condition: NEW 1994 University of California Press large softcover [0.8 x 9.2 x 12.2 (276 pages)], first paperback edition, first printing. Shelfwear diagonal crease bottom front cover. Content: The authors perceive the Mesoamerican mask as a metaphor and agent of transformation, mirroring in its relationship with its wearer the unity of the "underlying life force and the natural world it forms and sustains." Examples of the mask's symbolism, illustrated with black-and-white and color plates, are drawn from pre-Columbian images of the rain god, modern folkways, and contemporary art. While the Markmans' approach is nearer art than science, it draws on and reconciles scholarship in many disciplines, including anthropology and sociology as well as mythology. The extensive bibliography includes works by Alan Watts, Claude Levi-Strauss, and Joseph Campbell, as well as Mesoamericanists. [1 copy available]
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MESOAMERICA: The Evolution of a Civilization (Random House Studies in Anthropology)
by William T. Sanders & Barbara J. Price. B&W photos, drawings, maps illustrate. Condition: Gently pre-read (to about page 19) 1968 Random House Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edgewear, binder's glue wrinkles down spine, light foxing fore edges. Better than it sounds. Content: This is a book on the theory of civilization, dealing with the Mesoamerican cultures of ancient Mexico and Guatemala long before the appearance of the white man. Wonderful history. Yes, there are parts that may be dated in 2005, but the basic premises and theories are still worth the read. [1 copy available]
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MESOAMERICAN MYTH: A Treasury of Central American Legends, Art, and History
by Anita Ganeri. Beautiful color photos, drawings, and Codex repros. Condition: NEW 2007 Chartwell Books (UK) soft cover, first printing. Content: The Aztec and Mayan civilizations both had a rich collection of myths that sought to explain and define the natural world and their own customs and beliefs. Discover the role of religion in these incredibly sophisticated cultures, including the significance of the "fifth sun," and visit the extraordinary cities of Tenochtitlan and Palenque. Although stated for grades 8-12, anyone interested in Mesoamerican and Ancient American mythology will love this book! [1 copy available]
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OAXACA: The Archaeological Record
by Marcus Winter. B&W dig drawings and photos. Condition: UNREAD 1999 Minutiae Mexicana. S.A. de C.V. Trade PB, second edition, fourth printing. Tiny edgewear. Content: Ongoing explorations in Oaxaca are adding new data to The Archaeological Record, and confirming that a number of native groups contributed to make it a high culture area; it was the site of Mesoamerica's first great city - Monte Alban; and homeland of two of ancient America's writing systems - Zapotec and Mixtec; and its mortuary customs were elaborate, and its extraordinary ceramic sculpture. This is the perfect book to guide you through the sites if you are planning a trip to Monte Alban. Marcus Winter is a researcher in the Archaeology Section of the Oaxaca Regional Center of the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). [1 copy available]
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PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA: I
by various authors. B&W and color photos illustrate throughout. Condition: Gently pre-read c. 1971 Americas soft cover (stapled wraps), no printing given. Light tanning to white cover edges. Content: This is a series of articles which had been published in the magazine Americas - with the exception of the first article. Contents: Before Cortes (Elizabeth Benson); Architecture, Sculpture, Environment (Flora Phelps); Newest Ancient Art (Jane Kay); Olmec: America's First Civilizatin (Marion Stirling); Lost World of Copan (Wallace Alig); and The Gold of Cocle (Roberto Cowes). Complete with Authors' notes. The real reason to own this magazine (the articles here are somewhat dated) is the photos - even the ones in B&W are excellent. Many of them I've never seen before. Excellent! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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PRECOLUMBIAN TERRACOTTAS
by Franco Monti. Translated from the Italian by Margaret Crossland. Beautiful color photos of artifacts. Condition: Very good, gently pre-read 1969 Paul Hamlyn (London) small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), new edition. No problems: just pre-read. Content: It is one of the mysteries of Precolumbian art that the earliest objects are as technically advanced as the later ones, a fact which can clearly be seen in the color illustrations. Franco Monti's erudite and fascinating text brings once more to life the civilisation destroyed by European conquerors. [1 copy available]
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THE RABBIT ON THE FACE OF THE MOON: Mythology in the Mesoamerican Tradition
by Alfredo Lopez Austin. Translated by Bernard Ortiz de Montellano & Theoma Ortiz de Montellano. B&W decorations and drawings. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1996 Univ. Utah Press Trade Paperback, no printing given. Problem: Tiny edge wear AND this was my book I never got around to reading (shame on me! I know) and for some reason I dogearred one page - so. . . Content: Eighteen essays provide an accessible, entertaining look into a system of millennia-old legends and beliefs. Mythology is one of the great creations of humankind. It forms the core of sacred books and reflects the deepest preoccupations of human beings, their most intimate secrets, their glories, and their infamies. In 1990, Alfredo López Austin, one of the foremost scholars of ancient Mesoamerican thought, began a series of essays about mythology in the Mesoamerican tradition, published in México Indígena. Although his articles were written for general readers, they were also intended to engage specialists. They span a divers subject matter: myths and names, eclipses, stars, left and right, Méxican origins, Aztec incantations, animals, and the incorporation of Christian elements into the living mythologies of Mexico. The title essay relates the Mesoamerican myth explaining why there is a rabbit o the moon’s face to a Buddhist image and suggests the importance of the profound mythical concepts presented by each image. The eighteen essays in this volume are unified by their basis in Mesoamerican tradition and provide an accessible, entertaining look into a system of millennia-old legends and beliefs. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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TEOTIHUACAN: The city and its momuments
by Adrian Garcia Valades. Mostly color photos (although there are some B&W photos) and B&W drawings illustrate. Condition: Pre-read 1976 Dicesa (Mexico) small soft cover, second edition. Tiny edgewear with pale crease top front cover corner. Interior clean & tight. Small tag removal mark top front cover. Content: Most likely this book was written for the visitors to the City - but that doesn't mean it isn't an interesting and worthwhile historical document. From an explanation of the names in the city to the use of the buildings and design details, this is a wonderful insight into one of the New World's most beautiful cities. Loaded with graphics and photos. [1 copy available]
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TEOTIHUACAN
by Rosa Brambila, The National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico). Beautiful color photos by Adrian Garcia Valades and Silvia Gomex Tagle. Condition: Pre-read 1986 National Museum of Anthropology - GV Editores soft cover, second edition. Very light, pale diagonal crease front cover. Content: Most likely this book was written for the visitors to the city and museum. Loaded with graphics and photos. Excellent floor plans and a history of the city. [1 copy available]
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TEOTIHUACAN: The City of the Gods
by Adrian Garcia Valades. Beautiful color photos of all the sections of the city. Pull-out map of the city in color. Condition: UNREAD 1986 GV (Mexico) soft cover, fourteenth edition. 2-3 small rubbings front cover borders. Content: Most popular publicatins on the archaeological zone of Teotihuacan are devoted principaly to two of the best known structures: the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. It should be made clear, however, that these magnificient buildings form part of what was the ceremonial and administrative center of one of the largest pre-industrial cities of the world. This guide offers, to the non-specialist reader, a general view of the economic, urban and social development of the first metropolis in America. [1 copy available]
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