NEW AA NN CC II EE NN TT MMAAYYAA TTHHEE UUNNCCOOVVEERR OONNEE OOFF TTHHEE WWOORRLLDD’’SS GGRREEAATTEESSTT CCIIVVIILLIISSAATTIIOONNSS IINNSSIIDDEE DISCOVER THE BLOODY DEMISE OF THE MAYA ln a o t iti g i d i D E .. .. .. N WWAARR AARRCCHHIITTEECCTTUURREE AARRTTWWOORRKK GGOODDSS HIRD DITIO TE W E L C O M E T he Maya are a mystery, a people who carved out a sprawling civilisation among the jungles of Latin America and yet remain shrouded in myths and legends. In this bookazine you will delve into the scriptures, science and sacrifices that defined Maya life, witness the harsh reality of the wars that crushed cities and wonder at the art these fascinating people left behind. Then it will be time to roll up your sleeves and learn to cook like a native, before washing your tamale down with a unique Maya chocolate drink. Provided you’ve appeased the gods, the secrets of their writings and worship will be revealed as you wander the ruins of crumbling temples and bone-littered tombs. Those who make it out will meet the foreigner who fought for the Maya against his own people, discover how the Spanish attempted to wipe the Maya off the map and explore the efforts of their descendants to protect their legacy. TTHHEE AANNCCIIEENNTT MMAAYYAA Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Bookazine Editorial Editors Charles Ginger & Katharine Marsh Designer Perry Wardell-Wicks Compiled by April Madden & Thomas Parrett Editorial Director Jon White Senior Art Editor Andy Downes Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker All About History Editorial Editor Jonathan Gordon Designer Kym Winters Editorial Director Tim Williamson Senior Art Editor Duncan Crook Cover images Getty Images; Alamy; Wikipedia Photography All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove International Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw [email protected] www.futurecontenthub.com Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Matthew Eglinton Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Managers Keely Miller, Nola Cokely, Vivienne Calvert, Fran Twentyman Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001 All About History Book of the Ancient Maya Third Edition (AHB4275) © 2022 Future Publishing Limited We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this bookazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. The paper holds full FSC or PEFC certification and accreditation. All contents © 2022 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. 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Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne company quoted on the Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford London Stock Exchange Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 Part of the bookazine series C O N T E N T S 10 RISE OF TH E M AYA 10 THE END OF THE BEGINNING 16 DECIPHERING 50 THE MAYA CALENDAR 18 G OD SAVE THE KINGS TH E CL ASSIC PERIOD 26 A GOLDEN AGE 30 PALENQUE 36 CALAKMUL 40 TIKAL 44 THE CLASSIC MAYA DECLINE 44 50 CHICHÉN ITZÁ 6 SCI ENCE , SCRI P TU RES & SACRI FICE 58 SECRETS OF THE MAYA 66 D AILY LIFE FOR THE MAYA 70 COOK LIKE THE MAYA 74 MAKE A MAYA 66 CHOCOLATE DRINK 76 MAYA WRITING 80 MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION 86 SCIENCE IN MESOAMERICA 90 A RT AND ARCHITECTURE DESTRUCTION 86 58 110 98 D EATH THROES OF A DYNASTY 104 MAN OF WAR 110 THE SPANISH ARRIVE 116 T HE END OF THE RESISTANCE 122 THE END OF THE MAYA 126 EXPLORING THE MAYA WORLD 7 R I S E M A Y A OF T H E 10 T HE END 16 D ECIPHERING 18 GOD SAVE OF THE THE MAYA THE KINGS BEGINNING CALENDAR To rule a Maya city was not only to The seeds of the great Maya Passionate astronomers, the be a mortal king charged with the safety and prosperity of his people civilisation that would blossom Maya constructed highly complex during the Classic period were calendars that enabled them to – it was to be a god planted thousands of years before predict the future 10 8 18 16 9 T H E E N D OF T H E B E G I N N I N G While the best of Maya architecture, art and influence belong to the Classic period, the foundations of those achievements had been laid in the previous millennium WRITTEN BY DOMINIC EAMES One of the hundreds of ball courts still visible around Mesoamerican ruins 10