Richard E. W. Adams

A thoroughly revised edition of the classic photographic portrayal of the major pre-Columbian ruins of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras.

The contributors to this book scrutinize the data, survey external influences on the early Maya, and consider economics, ecology, demography, and warfare - as well as social and ideological factors - in explaining the transformation of Maya culture from a village-oriented society to one centered on elite classes living in large civic centers with monumental architecture.