{"product_id":"the-maya-a-very-short-introduction-paperback","title":"The Maya: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback","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.","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48781142229209,"sku":"9780190645021","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0787\/3121\/5065\/files\/9780190645021.jpg?v=1780574720","url":"https:\/\/www.blacknectarbooks.com\/products\/the-maya-a-very-short-introduction-paperback","provider":"blacknectar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}