Cassell's 'Monuments of Civilization' Series is a planned series of breathtakingly beautiful books - which sets out to evaluate the history and social developments of early civilizations by an examination of the architecture of the periods in which those civilizations grew, flourished, and declined. In the tropical forests and scrub growth of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, the awesome grandeur of the Mayan civilization lay forgotten for centuries. Long before the Christian era the Mayans were an agricultural people and by the sixteenth century had developed a highly complex culture. Their classic artistic and architectural attainments date back as far as the first century AD, the massive and exquisite relics serving as a testimonial to the ability and genius of Man. This volume, with its spectacular photographs and selections from the sacred and historic writings of this ancient people, provides a rare and complete insight into the Central American civilization of the Maya. 'Maya' - published simultaneously with Adolfo Tamburello's 'Japan' - contains 107 colour illustrations, diagrammatic plans and cross-sections, a chronological chart and a map showing the Classic and Post-Classic Period sites of the Mayan civilization.