{"product_id":"the-maya-a-very-short-introduction-9780190645021","title":"The Maya: A Very Short Introduction","description":"The Maya forged one of the greatest societies in the history of the ancient Americas -- and in all of human history. Long before contact with Europeans, Maya communities built spectacular cities with large, well-fed large populations. They mastered the visual arts, and developed a sophisticated writing system that recorded extraordinary knowledge in calendrics, mathematics, and astronomy. The Maya achieved all this without area-wide centralized control. There was never a single, unified Maya state or empire, but always numerous, evolving ethnic groups speaking dozens of distinct Mayan languages. The people we call \"Maya\" never thought of themselves as such; yet something definable, unique, and endlessly fascinating - what we call Maya culture - has clearly existed for millennia. So what was their self-identity and how did Maya civilization come to be \"invented?\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith the Maya historically subdivided and misunderstood in so many ways, the pursuit of what made them \"the Maya\" is all the more important. In this \u003cem\u003eVery Short Introduction\u003c\/em\u003e, Restall and Solari explore the themes of Maya identity, city-state political culture, art and architecture, the Maya concept of the cosmos, and the Maya experience of contact with -- including invasion by -- outsiders. Despite its brevity, this book is unique for its treatment of all periods of Maya civilization, from its origins to the present.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Matthew Restall, Amara Solari\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/21\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Short Introductions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 152\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 6.80h x 4.30w x 0.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780190645021","brand":"Oxford University Press, USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42709139161225,"sku":"9780190645021","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_b26dbf5b-6887-470e-95d8-478fa98c2813.jpg?v=1719511546","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-maya-a-very-short-introduction-9780190645021","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}