Recommended Reading List for Ancient Mesoamerica

[_beastie]

Gramps asked me a while ago to put together a suggested basic reading list for anyone interested in learning more about ancient Mesoamerica. Life has been so hectic lately this is the first time I’ve had the time and energy to comply. Before doing so, I want to do some advertising.

I originally became interested in ancient Mesoamerica due to the Book of Mormon connection. I recognized apologists like Brant Gardner were correct when they asserted I didn’t really have adequate background knowledge about ancient Mesoamerica to fairly judge their arguments. Being an avid reader of nonfiction anyway, it was painless for me to pick up a few books and begin my self-education. What happened, however, was that the ancient Mesoamericans in general, and the Maya in particular, cast a spell on me and I became more and more intrigued, and more determined to – beyond its connection with the Book of Mormon – at least begin to obtain a basic understanding of this mysterious culture. Ancient Egypt has received a lot of attention in the past few decades, due to marvelous discoveries, and I hope to soon see the Maya receive just as much attention.

I’ve been long interested in human evolution, both biological and social, and the book that has impacted my worldview the most is Robert Wright’s The Moral Animal. Of course I had read other texts devoted to human and social evolution, but it was Wright’s book that seemed to tie it altogether for me – the Grand Unifying Theme. My intense interest in ancient Mesoamerica is related to that prior interest in human beings in general. I grew to believe that if I could begin to understand this amazing culture, as well as an alien can, that perhaps I could also begin to recognize those fundamental elements of humanity that tie us together. Human beings, of all animals, fascinate me the most because we are the sole creatures who are self-aware to the point where we can “look for the creator”. I’m always a bit embarrassed to use a Star Trek analogy, but there’s no point resisting. The first Star Trek movie was about a being called Vger’s search for the creator. Vger was actually the end product of the probe Voyager, when it happened upon a planet inhabited by living machines. (by the way, another book plug, the book I’m currently reading, recommended by a friend :The Singularity is Near, predicts such a future for this planet as well). These living machines tinkered with the probe until it, too, became a living machine. As soon as it became self aware it wanted to find the creator. This is a deeply engrained human instinct, it would appear.

The Maya, like us, looked for the creator, and sought to understand themselves by so doing. Their story is far different from our own in detail, but we share many underlying themes. I believe if I can begin to grasp, as much as an outsider can, the ancient Maya and their worldview, I can begin to recognize the basic, common elements that make us human.

The ancient Mesoamerican worldview was powerful, persuasive, and pervasive. We aren’t quite sure how long it has lasted, and it still lives today in the ancestors of the ancient Mesoamerican. We just can’t pinpoint the beginning date. Each time scholars think they have found the earliest traces of this world view, another discovery pushes the window back even further. It was a remarkably successful worldview, creating a culture that produced sophisticated civilizations that, at times, built and inhabited the largest cities in the entire world (unbeknownst to their Old World counterparts, who imagined themselves as having that honor). That this culture came to such a cruel end is a stark reminder to all of us. We must take care, or the same fate awaits every culture.

With that introduction, I hope to have inspired a few readers to pick up a book or two on the subject.

My first recommendation is a very short, readable, yet accurate book called “Religions of Mesoamerica: Cosmovision and Ceremonial Centers” by David Carrasco. This was one of my earliest reads and I’m still amazed at how much information it packs in such a concise, clear manner. Although it addresses religion in particular, remember that religion is everything, literally everything, in ancient Mesoamerica. It is culture, it is politics, it is family life. This book is also excellent because it also addresses the conquest and the determination of the conquered Mesoamericans to retain their beliefs, even if they had to “hide” them within Catholicism. The blend of the two is still seen in Mesoamerica.

If you enjoy that one, I would next suggest a longer, more detailed book, yet one that is clearly constructed and very readable. It also contains an enormous amount of information - “Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World” by Lynn V. Foster. This book addresses in more detail the speculated origins of the Mesoamerican worldview, as well as specifics like government, warfare, architecture, specific cities, etc. A great read. I had read well over a dozen books by the time I picked up this one and was amazed at how much it helped me put it all together.

Then, if you’re still in the game, I suggest Arthur Demarest’s (the preeminent Maya scholar, next to Michael Coe) Ancient Maya: The Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization. This book is particularly good at unraveling the riddle that bedeviled many scholars: just how did the ancient Mesoamericans build such a powerful culture in an environment that today seems quite inhospitable? It also emphasizes how the culture is a direct product of the environment, and how the environment is echoed in the religion.

If your only purpose is to obtain enough rudimentary information to fairly evaluate Book of Mormon apologetics, those three books are adequate, in my opinion. If, however, you, like me, fall in love with the ancient Maya and ancient Mesaomerica, here’s a few more:

Richard Diehl’s The Olmecs – addresses the earlier culture that preceded the more famous Maya culture (this is the one apologists usually connect to the Jaredites) This text helps you get a clearer picture on just how powerful and long-lasting this worldview really was.

David Freidel and Linda Schele’s Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman’s Path: this one is excellent at tying together all the bits and pieces the above books offer and helps the reader gain a grasp of the very basic elements upon which the entire mythology and culture developed.

Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings, translated by Dennis Tedlock. This is a translation of one of the earliest texts written by the Maya. It is necessary to already possess background knowledge on the creation myth to understand this one at all.

Lords of Creation: The Origin of Sacred Maya Kingship – by Virginia M. Fields and Dorie Reents-Budet. (and other contributors.) I recommend this one due to the startling beautiful photographs of Maya artifacts that are connected to one of the very basic elements of Maya mythology: that of the Holy Lord. (divine king)

I have many other recommendations if you’re interested in particular facets of ancient Mesoamerica, but I’ll save those to share if requested.

And, of course, I have to plug my longer essays addressing what I perceive to be the problems that sink the “Book of Mormon happened in Mesoamerica” ship:

http://zarahemlacitylimits.com/wiki/ind ... esoamerica

Happy reading!

[_gramps]

Thank you very much beastie. I'm sure your busy, so I appreciate it.

I guess I'll start at the top and work my way down.

Cheers, gramps

[_beastie]

You're welcome, gramps, I'd been meaning to do it even before you asked. I just needed a little kick in the pants.

I should have added this warning:

Reading this material may cause baldness, as the result of scratching one's head in bewilderment over and over as one realizes the full extent of how utterly inappropriate Mesoamerica is as a plausible setting for the Book of Mormon.

[_gramps]

You're welcome, gramps, I'd been meaning to do it even before you asked. I just needed a little kick in the pants.

I should have added this warning:

Reading this material may cause baldness, as the result of scratching one's head in bewilderment over and over as one realizes the full extent of how utterly inappropriate Mesoamerica is as a plausible setting for the Book of Mormon.

Funny, I am already suffering from that malady. And I haven't even gotten to Mesoamerica, yet. There is a lot of stuff, aside from Book of Mormon apologetics that can keep one "scratching their head in bewilderment."

Cheers, gramps

[_Seven]

I have not studied anything on the DNA contraversy or Mesoamerica, but aware that there is very little evidence that the Book of Mormon is historical. Are these the best books to start with for someone like me who has not read anything on the debates?

[_beastie]

I have not studied anything on the DNA contraversy or Mesoamerica, but aware that there is very little evidence that the Book of Mormon is historical. Are these the best books to start with for someone like me who has not read anything on the debates?

Yes, I think so. These books, particularly the first three I suggested, simply provide basic information about ancient Mesoamerica. It's necessary to have at least some basic understanding of the time period to evaluate the apologetic claims, and also recognize when they're being a bit misleading (which unfortunately seems to occur quite a bit).

I'm not really interested in the DNA debate. I read Southerton's book and found it convincing, but it's not my primary interest. Instead, I am interested in the contextual fit of the background information about the culture in which the Book of Mormon occurred and ancient Mesoamerica.