| Maya and Castil Ntravels in the Lands of the Maya Contributor(s): Crosfield, Richard (Author) |
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ISBN: 0755206991 ISBN-13: 9780755206995 Publisher: New Generation Publishing OUR PRICE: $16.14 Product Type: Paperback Published: June 2012 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Travel | Mexico - History | Latin America - South America |
| Dewey: 917.2 |
| Physical Information: 0.62" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (0.92 lbs) 296 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Latin America - Cultural Region - Mexican |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: When Columbus first encountered the Maya, little did he realise that he had found a civilization as ancient and rich in traditions as the European he had left behind. The Spanish conquest of the Maya lands dragged on for almost two centuries with an area the size of Wales remaining under Mayan control until 1929. A small faction even took on the British Empire in Belize. Paradoxically, while the Spaniards were destroying the old civilization, in some ways they helped to preserve it. Richard Crosfield sets out on a journey through the five southern states of Mexico, northern Guatemala and Belize, talking to archaeologists, Maya, missionaries and descendants of Spanish settlers in the region. He travels through history, uncovering how this sophisticated Pre-Columbian civilization came to terms with their Spanish would-be conquerors, and how the delicate balance between Maya and Castil n was betrayed when Mexico became independent. He tells the stories of the early encounters and the Conquest through the eyes of the Maya as well as Spanish conquistadors and priests, while the past meets the present in his own journey. |
