The untold Story of the Ancient Maya

Excellent source material for my rolegaming campaign. Well organized, clear and lucid prose, and free of the woo that has so tragically infected Central American studies. ( )

The purpose of this book, written by scholars on the subject, Linda Schele and David Freidl, appears to be twofold. Firstly, to reveal or rather decode the hieroglyphs, of what they believe, are the stories left behind by kings and nobles detailing their dynastic rule and conquests throughout Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Secondly, in using this information the author’s attempt to reconstruct/fictionalize scenarios of what may have taken place. Certainly, this imagery is helpful in attempting to understand the workings of the ancient Maya yet the skeptic in me wonders just how much of what the author’s envision is accurate.
A Forest of Kings has left this reader swimming, with her head barely above water, in a cenote of dates, names, conquests, conjecture, assumptions and speculation , sometimes asking more questions than there are answers. There is a life preserver, however, If anything, this book has me wanting to read more, question more and try to understand more of these silent warriors.

Would I recommend it…………….. Yes, but not to everyone. One really must have some knowledge and interest in the Mayan culture to get any enjoyment from this book. If you are a beginner in this area I would recommend Stephens and Catherwood’s Incidents of Travel in Yucatan for an interesting overview. ( )