The four heavens : a new history of the ancient Maya / David Stuart.
"Maya history was seemingly lost forever when the first Europeans encountered the great ruins of ancient cities in what is today Mexico and Central America. Today, with the recent decipherment of their ancient writings, the story of the Maya can now be told from their perspective. Stuart traces the rapid emergence of permanent settlements in the rainforest, which gave rise to monumental architecture and a flourishing urbanism and ushered in the Classic period of Maya civilization beginning in the mid-second century CE. He reveals a world of majestic royal courts tightly bound together by marriages, shifting alliances, and warfare, much of it driven by the ambitions of two major dynasties, the Kanuls and Mutuls. Stuart describes how the long-standing rivalry between these two great houses shaped the fates of the surrounding kingdoms and may have set the stage for "the Great Rupture" of the ninth century, when the royal courts buckled under the weight of internal strife, social unrest, and environmental crisis, transforming Maya civilization yet again." --Publisher's website.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780691213842
- ISBN: 0691213844
- Physical Description: xxi, 449 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps, genealogical tables ; 25 cm
- Publisher: Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2026]
- Copyright: ©2026
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 415-435) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Foreword / Eric H. Cline -- Paskab : the world revealed. Rupture ; Reading ; Dawning -- Kabch'en : the earth and caves. Dynasties ; Arrivals ; Expansions -- Chante'chan : the four heavens. East ; West ; South ; North -- Lok'oy : the leaving. Abandonments ; Revivals ; Rises and falls -- Appendix A: Family relations ; Appendix B: Selected timeline ; Appendix C: Maya timekeeping.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Mayas > History.
Mayas > Antiquities. - Genre:
- Informational works.
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Available copies
- 3 of 4 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 0 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 4 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Main Library | 972.81 STU (Text) | 30229101318664 | Adult New Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/11/2026 |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
"Maya history was seemingly lost forever when the first Europeans encountered the great ruins of ancient cities in what is today Mexico and Central America. Today, with the recent decipherment of their ancient writings, the story of the Maya can now be told from their perspective. Stuart traces the rapid emergence of permanent settlements in the rainforest, which gave rise to monumental architecture and a flourishing urbanism and ushered in the Classic period of Maya civilization beginning in the mid-second century CE. He reveals a world of majestic royal courts tightly bound together by marriages, shifting alliances, and warfare, much of it driven by the ambitions of two major dynasties, the Kanuls and Mutuls. Stuart describes how the long-standing rivalry between these two great houses shaped the fates of the surrounding kingdoms and may have set the stage for "the Great Rupture" of the ninth century, when the royal courts buckled under the weight of internal strife, social unrest, and environmental crisis, transforming Maya civilization yet again." --Publisher's website.
