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Maya Civilization: A History from Beginning to End

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Discover the remarkable history of the Maya Civilization... Free BONUS Inside! 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 sixteenth century, Maya culture and thinking were deliberately suppressed. Only in the twentieth century did scientists appreciate just how advanced these people had been and how important they were in the history of Mesoamerica. The excavation and investigation of several large Maya cities in the second half of the twentieth century completely changed how we view these people. We now know that the Maya were capable of building vary large stone structures that were precisely aligned with astronomical features, though we do not know how this was done. We are still learning about Maya cities—as recently as 2018, the use of new technology uncovered more than 60,000 previously undiscovered Maya ruins in the jungles of Guatemala. Many scholars now believe that the Maya were one of the most important of all the ancient Mesoamerican cultures. There are still many mysteries about the Maya. At one point in their history, several major Maya cities were abandoned and left to the encroaching jungle while their people relocated to more inhospitable areas in the Yucatán. There are many theories, but no one is entirely certain why this happened. We also don’t know why the Maya made important advances in the fields of mathematics and medicine and yet failed to develop, for example, the wheel or metalworking. What we do know is that these people created a sophisticated culture which they recorded via one of the first complex writing systems. Unlike other contemporary Mesoamerican peoples, the Maya survived the Spanish occupation, and Maya language, religion, and culture continue to survive today in parts of Central America and Mexico. This is the story of the mysterious and frequently misunderstood Maya civilization. Discover a plethora of topics such as Origins Maya Religion and Medicine The Classic Period Weapons and Warfare The Spanish Conquest Maya Writing And much more!So if you want a concise and informative book on the Maya Civilization, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

117 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2020

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215 people want to read

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Hourly History

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5 stars
172 (47%)
4 stars
120 (33%)
3 stars
60 (16%)
2 stars
8 (2%)
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3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Leona.
330 reviews136 followers
January 29, 2020



Maya Civilization: A History from Beginning to End

A short book about the Maya Civilization of Mexico and Central America.
I downloaded for free from Hourly History.
I gave it a 5 star rating even though it is short, it is a great introduction.
I have studied the Maya for years and always learn something.
Copyright 2020

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Origins
The Preclassic Period: 2000 BCE- 250 BCE
Maya Religion and Medicine
The Classic Period: 250- 900 CE
Maya Culture, Art, and Society
The Post- Classic Period: 900-1530 Ce
Maya Weapons and Warfare
The Spanish Conquest: 1523-167 CE
Maya Writing
Legacy of the Maya Civilization
Conclusion


Profile Image for Neil McCrea.
Author 1 book43 followers
January 3, 2025
This slender volume is intended to give a concise history of the Maya civilization in simple language so that it can be read in an hour's time. Even within that framework this book is simply too basic to be of use to an adult. I've read many a high school history paper with more insight and information. The Wikipedia entry on the Maya is shorter and significantly more informative. If this book had not come out in 2020, I would have suspected it was written by AI.

Garbage. The equivalent of a lengthy social media post.
1,235 reviews11 followers
November 25, 2025
An interesting people

This book along with several others about Mesoamerica paints an interesting picture of the area. There are a lot of details to found in this book about the Maya. Unlike other civilizations found in this area the Maya have survived to today. In a concise way the story of the Maya is told. If you don't know about the Maya this is a good way to begin.
Profile Image for Mark Baller.
615 reviews2 followers
October 11, 2021
Pretty good short summary of maya culture

It's very well done and there's a lot of information crammed in 47 pages I highly recommend I highly recommend its a big time saver a big time saver
7 reviews
September 23, 2023
This is a brief synopsis of the Mayan hisrory.

The synopsis briefly covers the history of the Mayas but lacks any discussions of the culture, artwork and architecture of the civilization. The failure of the explanation of the arts leaves much to be desired.
271 reviews2 followers
March 23, 2025
Civilized

This concise summary of Maya history and culture was informative packed with interesting information about their rise and decline. The great mystery about why the Maya civilization ended remains unsolved.
37 reviews
June 14, 2025
First Mayan Read

I recently ate Mexican food that had Mayan sourced furniture and decorations. After doing a little research I discovered the different cultures of central and south America. A great introductory book for me.
Profile Image for David Parker.
487 reviews9 followers
August 30, 2025
Now you see them and now you don’t.

It is amazing how many Mesoamérica civilizations suddenly appeared and disappeared like mushrooms.
Hopefully, with the reading of glyphs the history can be patched together.
How much of the jungle will be destroyed to recover the grandeur?
4 reviews
February 4, 2026
If you know little of Mayan civilization it is a decent start but don’t expect to be armed with extensive knowledge of their history. I didn’t know much about Mayan history, but I know more than I did before. I was an easy read that took an hour to finish.
1 review
February 20, 2020
Thanks

Thanks, loved the history. Straight forward and simple language, get to know so much in small time with the help of book.
Profile Image for Elisa.
4,360 reviews44 followers
March 18, 2021
Fascinating and easy to follow. It's just the basics, but it's a lot of information for such a short volume.
644 reviews
March 28, 2021
I've never been much of a history buff, but this really caught my interest. Thanks for an interesting story, very well told.
88 reviews
June 6, 2021
Insightful view of a interesting race of people

I knew nothing about them other than the buildings they left behind. It would have been interesting if the Spanish never arrived. Great piece of history
Profile Image for linda murray.
252 reviews
November 2, 2021
Short but interesting! My adopted daughter is of Mayan descent and I wanted to read and pass on the book to her!
128 reviews
August 17, 2022
Maya Civilization

This is a very good book with a good storyline about the Maya people, and their rise to power, and eventual decline from power.
2 reviews
December 29, 2022
Very informative

So much interesting information in a quick, concise read. This book has made me even more fascinated in this amazing civilization.
40 reviews
September 11, 2023
Interesting

Book summarising Maya civilisation. Contains summary of all periods and classes of the society and its eventual demise under the conquistadors from Spain.
Profile Image for Kirsten Hinsdale.
2 reviews
February 2, 2025
Good summary of Mayan history



This book provided good background for my upcoming trip to Tulum--a fascinating and concise overview of what is known about Mayan civilization.
Profile Image for Emma.
11 reviews
January 29, 2026
3.75*

a nice introduction to mayan society and an easy read
Profile Image for Sandy.
566 reviews24 followers
October 23, 2023
Not much details but compact enough to get a picture.

Book #39 of 2023.
2 reviews
May 15, 2024
good content to read through quickly

Good book for a quick intro and grasp. Definitely worth for someone who wants to have a crash course on the subject
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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