Though Maya script, symbolism, and mythology are not yet fully understood, research from the last 25 years is showing that the Maya, once seen as "simple" peaceful people, are now thought to have lived in rival city-states waging war to capture prisoners who were often sacrificed to enhance the power of rulers. This exhibition catalog is organized along eight themes that recur in Maya art. The 123 spectacular color plates, along with black-and-white photographs and 200 drawings, are intimately bound to the text: they are the pictorial representations of the sacred objects and places that imbued Maya political and religious life with meaning. The authors have built on important recent research to shed new light on the Maya code and symbolism; this is an important contribution to our understanding of the Classic Maya. Winfred Lambrecht, Anthropology Dept., Brown Univ.
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