Customer Reviews:
GOOD BUT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.......2006-02-09
THIS BOOK IS FASCINATING, HOWEVER IF YOU DON'T LIKE SCIENTIFIC READING IT MAY BE HARD TO FOLLOW. OTHERWISE ITS A GREAT READ IF ARE INTERESTED IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS AND EARTH'S MYSTERIES.
Dissapointed with ending.......2005-11-02
I found the conclusion of the book to be inconclusive and feel that it is not based on any hard science; its the author's opinion supported by sketchy facts, figures and theories from other sources. It's artful and entertaining, but it's not like its going to leave you with the truth of 2012 being the end of the world.
I don't regret reading it, however, and would recommend it to someone who is interested in learning about the subject. It just gives you one more opinion to chew on and ponder. And, I like pondering things.
Futhermore, there is some historical information on the Central American Civilizations of the past, the Mayan calendars, as well as some interesting theories on Sunspot's.
Dodgy..........2005-06-21
The blurb on the back reads "The present world will end on 22 December 2012. So prophesied the Maya 5,000 years ago..." - yet on page 4 the authors indicate that the Maya appeared around 500AD, which by my reckoning is only 1,500 years ago.
Such internal inconsistencies riddle this book, and make it unreliable. On the face of it - and ignoring the 2012 prophecy, which uses some pretty tortuous mathematical manipulations - there is a lot of interesting information here about the Maya, but I'm afraid I just don't know how much I can believe or trust.
I'm sure many people will lap up this book, and simply assume that the "facts" on the Maya must be true because they are written in an authoritative manner, but please keep an open mind - which includes remembering that the authors may be wrong.
Very dissappointing.......2004-09-09
It was implied that the earth's magnetic field reversed 3K years BC. This caused Atlantis to sink and new lands to appear. This scenario would make sense. What doesnt make sense is that according to a geographic magazine (scientific fact), the last time the earth's magnetic field reversed was 780,000 years ago. Moreover, its occurrence is random and not in some sequence deciphered by the Mayan calendar. Assuming the Mayan calendar was true, then what would happen in 2012? The facts are that the sunspots activity align with the Mayan calculations. In a period of years before and after 2012, there will be instances of very few or no sunspots occuring. This will effect fertility and weather patterns but mostly in the equator area. Hence, Mexico, India, Southeast Asia, Africa will be affected. The only reason the rest of the world will be affected is due to the side effect of us polluting the world with CO2 from too much cars and waste dumping, thereby melting the polar ice caps. The sunspot event before and after 2012 will just make things worse. So the doomsayers would come out and point to the Mayan prophecy as applicable to the whole world. As you can see if we did not pollute, North America would not be affected.
I give this book 1-star for the first chapter and explanation of the Mayan number system. I dont agree with the chapter about how images came up when Pacal's tomb cover were superimposed. The fact is that one can superimpose any drawing or try even Michaelangelo's fresco's. By careful delineation, one would come up with weird forms as what the author found in Pacal's about a jaguar? a bat?
Nonsense.......2003-07-09
This book is about coincidences. The authors notice a similarity between certain large numbers in the Maya calendar cycle and their own astrological theories about sunspot cycles. The numbers don't match, but from this "coincidence" the authors conclude that the Maya warned of a cosmic disaster for the year 2012.
The book could have stopped there, but instead it digresses into a sort of personal log of the authors' visits to Mexico, then revisits old material on transatlantic contact, Atlantis mythology, Edgar Cayce, Velikovsky, and other nonsense. Some of the historical material about Mexico is interesting and well written, but is clearly taken from other sources.
Some of the claims are bizarre, such as that the crystal "skull of doom" was used as a magnifying glass in a fire ceremony. Or that the "loops" on the Palenque sarcophagus represent magnetic field lines on the sun, something the Maya couldn't possibly have known about.
The authors' contempt for those with other points of view is annoying. The book that derides Von Daniken, astrologists, and professional archaeologists all at the same time.
The sloppiness about numbers is also annoying, especially since their entire case rests on numbers. The authors cite a "remarkable correlation" between the dates given for the great flood by Plato (9500 B.C), Cayce (10,500 B.C.), and the Maya (11,205 B.C.) These dates differ by over 1700 years, a variation of 15% relative to the present day. Considering that one of the authors claims to be an engineer and a scientist, this is inexcusable.
The Maya civilization is a fascinating and impressive one, and no doubt there is much wisdom we have yet to learn from them. You won't find it in this book.
Book Description
Reveals the common origins of the ancient Egyptian and Mayan civilizations.
• Shows how these cultures had the ability to gaze into the heavens to predict the future unfolding of humanity and their place within the cosmic order.
• The author's revelations about the Freemasons' connection to this ancient knowledge generated a firestorm of controversy in Europe.
• By the author of the bestseller The Mayan Prophecies.
Maurice Cotterell's background as a scientist, mathematician, and engineer helped him to decipher the code of the ancient Maya, revealing the mystery of their science and religion to an extent never before possible. Using the same techniques, the author turns his attention here to deciphering the secrets encoded within the tomb of Tutankhamun. His extensive research revealed that both the ancient Egyptians and the Maya possessed a sophisticated understanding of sun spot activity and other astronomical phenomena--facts recently confirmed by modern science. Knowledge of the connections between solar patterns and human destiny allowed the Egyptians and Maya to harness the energy generated by the sun to achieve spiritual enlightenment and soul growth.Â
The link between reincarnation and solar energy encoded in the tombs of Tutankhamun and the Mayan Lord Pacal is a jealously guarded secret held by a select number of occult groups, including the higher orders of Freemasonry. The author unleashed a firestorm of controversy in Europe when he exposed much of the esoteric knowledge of the Freemasons, including one of the society's most carefully concealed secrets: incarnate gods like Lord Pacal and Tutankhamun have come to earth to help humans achieve spiritual enlightenment, soul growth, and individual realization as solar beings.Â
Customer Reviews:
I look at the stars at night and my mind just drifts away.......2007-10-08
Amazing, spiritual and full of incredible secrets. I wish I have read this book before I travelled to Egypt and Mexico. I remember the places, but at that time I could not understand all the details and the story behind it. This book explains in such details the way of thinking and planning of little details for future generations to discover the secrets of The Mayan, Tutankhamun Prophecies.
After reading this book, I look at the stars at night and my mind just drifts away.
K Shea.......2004-08-18
Solar flares are the reason behind all our problems and the the world can only be saved by mathamaticians. Aside from the usual "Hey look Mom, I figured out the meaning of the pyramids" stuff that seems to be in all of these esoteric books there is a smacking of truth in amongst all the those calculations. It may not be enough to support some of the theories put forward by Mr. Cotterell but it is certainly food for thought. If you don't mind wading through the math, there are at least 144,000 seperate calculations, then I would reccommend the reading.
The tutankhamon speculations........2004-07-15
The book starts with a short introduction of previous work the author has done regarding the Mayan culture. As he explains, he cracked a secret code the Mayans used to leave messages to future finders. The code involved a jade mask and a lid of a sarcophagus. The author discovered that when one projects images of these mirror onto itself, new pictures form. He presents the readers with his ideas regarding these images and the explanation thereof.
In my opinion, the author makes a few excellent points in this introduction, and I do genuinely believe he really is onto something regarding secret messages and the way to decode them; however I cannot help but feel as if at times the author sees things that really aren't there. He is determined to prove himself right, and thus presents 'evidence' that's at times very meager and very open for discuussion.
After this introduction, the author switches from the Mayans to the Egyptians, and specifically secret messages left in Tutankhamon's tomb in the form of objects. Obviously a great lover of math, he picks a few random objects from the treasure and goes on to analyze them. All their pecurilarities are counted, multiplied, and summed up to always come to the same set of numbers.
Again, I cannot help but feel as if the author is trying to fit everything to his own conclusions. He believes the Tutankhamon is one of the super-gods, just like the Mayan emporer, Buddham and Jesus. He presents his case by referring to the divine number 144,000, and various things that links the Mayan emporer to Tutankhamon (For instance, both are identified with a feathered snake. The Mayan emporer by Quetzeqotl, Tutankhamon by the cobra and the eagle of his crown). Furthermore, he draws a few conclusions that are blatantly speculative in my opinion. As an example, the author quotes a list of known 64 pharaos, noting that neither Achnaton nor Tutankhamon (Achnaton's son) were recorded on this list. Then, he tries proving that a necklace found in the tomb, carrying 64 complete and 2 broken beads, represents this list. This is in my humble opinion, a little far fetched.
The third part of the book starts with an account of a UFO sighting, and moves from energy lines to telepatism, and how freemasons possess secret ancient knowledge. Why this is included in the same book is a puzzle to me; the connection to the 'middle chapter' about Egypt is unclear, and the third part is highly speculative.
All in all, I'd recommend against buying this book. I do fully intend to read the author's other book on the cracking of the Mayan code, but feel as if I gained very little by reading this book; loosely linked theories are presented by the author as solid evidence, and used to prove other theories assumptions he makes. All this leads me to believe the case the author is trying to build is shaky at the best.
Completely Awesome!.......2004-01-08
Serious evolutionist beware! this is the book you have been looking for...Covers so much
A Book That Will Shake Your Senses.......2003-05-25
I bought this book thinking it was reference about the Mayan calendar end date. I was wrong. This book is a totally new revelation of an age-old theory that was concealed within the ancient carvings of two breathtaking civilizations, and a secret society with an agenda not known to anyone. What totally interested me is the sceitific approach Cotterell took in his analysis, and although his methods might seem to some people as intricately improbable, I think that he employed the sciences of maths and physics into an outstanding revelation of ancient knowledge. I think most readers of this genre are true believers that ancient wisdom outmatches our own, and that the knowledge known to our great ancestors will probably never be available to us. So in this fine work of his, Cotterell analysed buildings, tombs, treasures and literature of ancient Maya and Egypt, applying numerous scientific theories and equations to draw on his conclusions. I personally am a big fanatic of ancient civilizations and I believe that the Mayan culture was narrowed down to its calendar, while the secrets within their culture are uncountable. Same goes with the Egyptians who mystified the new world with their culture. The greatest thing about this book is that it attempts to create bonds between its different conclusions, and it never fails to back up any statement with illustrations and scientific proof. By the end of part 1 I was amazed, and although I haven't read Cotterell's first book, The Supergods, this book managed to give me a fair summary of what the previous one concluded. The secret revealed is not anything you would expect. Some might believei it's a simple idea, while I personally believe it's an outstanding revelation. If you're a reader of Zecheria Sitchin, Erich Von Deineken or others in this genre, you will most likely ponder for hours after reading this one.
Book Description
Discover the ancient Maya culture with these fun games and activities!
Make a Maya pyramid. Mix up a Chili Chocolate Drink. Create a macaw headdress. While reading The Maya, you'll have a great time exploring the cultural traditions of this innovative people as you learn to write in the Mayan language, make a mosaic jade mask in the likeness of one of their rulers, and test your skills as you play Maya games.
This book is filled with activities and projects that will show you how the Maya people lived and played, as well as how they managed to create a civilization that lasted almost 4,000 years! You'll learn about the bravery of Maya warriors as you construct a war shield. You'll discover how to read ancient Maya hieroglyphs and even create your own glyph rubbing, just like the scribes used to do! You'll get to solve math problems using Maya numbers-and then come up with your own problems to try on your friends! Plus, you'll find lots of amazing Maya facts on topics ranging from history and government to foods and arts to science and architecture. So be prepared for lots of fun as you discover the ancient secrets of The Maya.
Book Description
Until about forty years ago, the ancient Maya hieroglyphics and the world they described remained virtually indecipherable. Now Secrets in Stone takes readers into the world of the ancient Maya code and explains how it was deciphered and what it all means. Not only is this the first book on the subject for children, this book also comes with its very own UV-raised "Glyphmaster," which allows budding archaeologists to create glyph rubbings, just like real archaeologists, Ancient Egyptians hueroglyphics have long captivated the interest of children. Now, inquisitive minds will relish developing their own secret codes and messages with over fifty Maya hieroglyphs.
Customer Reviews:
Great Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphics!.......2004-04-15
My 5 yo daughter pulled this off the shelf of our local library and said, "I want to read about Egypt." I glanced at the book and almost put it back when I saw what the topic really was. But, then I decided, "Hey, if she thinks it looks interesting, let's read it." Surprise! My 8 yo, she, and I all loved the book! We checked it out again recently, and my older child (who is now 9) devoured it in one sitting.
Learning how to read the hieroglyphs is a blast, and I loved the puzzles that the author sets for the reader. He has you find particular hieroglyphs in actual Maya inscriptions. I have seen some of the Maya ruins and loved them long before this book was published, but this book adds so much depth to the study of Maya history.
Plus, the book has raised hieroglyphs on the inside covers. You can then make rubbings of the hieroglyphs to form different words. A great purchase!
It's alright.........2003-12-02
well done, but I could have done without the part about burning blood as a sacrafice. Also the story about the vampire bat.My daughter is in third grade,I am not sure if that story would scare her, but it certainly is not necessary. Seems to me like the author added some gore just to keep older kids reading. The book is well done, I would have liked to have given it 5 stars.
Book Description
In this unique full-color book, a cadre of professionals led by Maya expert and best-selling author, John Kundert-Gibbs, team up to share what they've learned using Maya in the CG trenches.
Contributing authors include veterans of such high-profiles projects as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Star Wars: Episode I, The Perfect Storm, as well as animations featured at SIGGRAPH.
Whether you're new to the field or already have solid 3D experience, Maya: Secrets of the Pros offers insights and step-by-step instructions designed to help you build and sharpen a range of critical skills, including:
* Preparation techniques for modeling and animation
* Improving motion capture and lip synching
* Creating crowd scenes from a small number of base models
* Controlling dynamics in plot-driven sequences
* Developing massively complex particle systems for film effects, such as those in The Perfect Storm
* Modeling subdivision surfaces
* Creating a GUI animation set-up for animators
* Using effective natural lighting
* Writing software for a multi-platform renderfarm
Customer Reviews:
book just didn't provide any detailed.......2006-10-25
I have reviewed this book on several occasions looking for items that could help me do some scenes. I have found that it does very little to help you produce any of the many renders that are displayed. If you are looked for a step-by-step tutorial on how to do these scenes, you are looking at the wrong book. Like one of the earlier reviewer, I too have taught Maya at one of the colleges in the North East.
Second Edition is Average.......2005-05-11
I have the first edition also, and the content of this second edition is ALL NEW material.
Chapter 1 - Maya Cloth - The tutorials include a skirt, a curtain, and accessories (using cloth for animating jewelry and bracelets). Unfortunately, there are no fully clothed figures (no shirts, no pants, etc) so everything is very basic, but explained clearly.
Chapter 2 - Non-Photorealistic Rendering - First example has textures sketched in pen, scanned, and then mapped onto animated models. It creates a unique "hand-drawn" effect, and with some interesting rendering styles. Second example is how to create an impressionistic rendering style. Emit particles from object, make those particles strokes, and play with the render settings. I haven't seen a tutorial like this one before, and it does a lot for making very basic shaded object into a more intriguing render.
Chapter 3: Realistic Camera Movement - The basics of CG cinematography (if you want more on this, I recommend Digital Cinematography & Directing by Dan Ablan). Also goes briefly into camera lenses and focal lengths. The good parts are the long tutorials on Creating Camera Shake and Creating a Handheld Camera. At the end there is a brief tutorial on capturing motion with Maya Live.
Chapter 4: Radiosity, HDRI, LDRI - This is the best and most thorough tutorial on this subject that I've found in a Maya format. Rendering tutorials on a spaceship, a robot, and a katana sword. The chapter ends with a brief tutorial on how to render a detailed, complex scene.
Chapter 5: The Character Pipeline - The information is here is so basic, I think the only reason it would be included in an "of the pros" books is that it has a few MEL scripts. Naming conventions, character sets, and some rigging scripts by the author. Certainly one of the least interesting chapters.
Chapter 6: Hair Systems - This very unique chapter that talks about using Maya Hair for alternative purposes. Octopus tentacles, Rope/wire, Character's secondary motion, and shark animation. Great tutorials for all these examples, which can obviously be applied to nearly anything.
Chapter 7: Dynamics - This is all very basic stuff, with very basic examples (ie a torus lands on a plane, boxes interacting with eachother). Has a couple pages on using Maya Hair and dynamics to make car suspension.
Chapter 8: The Art of Maya Noises - Basic dynamics tutorials. I have no idea why this was in the book. You WILL find better online tutorials because most of the examples are clones of things you will find elsewhere. 1) A water fountain, 2) spinning particles to create a "vortex", 3) a "hermite electric arc" (two spheres with electricity flowing between them). MEL scripts are included for these examples.
Chapter 9: Polygon/Subdivision modeling a character head (cover of book) - Starts out talking about edgeloops -- which has an interesting twist because the character has a "third eye". Draws curves in the front and side viewports using the EP curve tool, thus creating a skeletal/basic cage that will be used as outlines for poly faces (so, it's like NURBS modeling, but poly). Has a few pages about filling in the curves-wireframe, pointing out problem areas (triangles, five sided polys, and "stars") and how to fix them. The tutorial stops at completing the trapezius and neck muscles. No texturing/lighting/rendering discussion is included.
Overall, I was slightly disappointed in this book. Sure a complete beginner would be lost, but for the average/intermediate Maya user many of the tutorials are not worth the pricetag. Before buying this, go to the bookstore and browse through the chapters that sound interesting and see if its worth your money.
Between this and the first edition, I think they should pick out a few chapters of each and make a "Best of" :-)
Review of Second Edition: GREAT BOOK!.......2005-03-02
Disclaimer: While I was a contributor to the first edition, I have no connection to the second edition. Therefore I believe I can speak objectively about this work. I am a computer animator and educator teaching at the college level for the past 10 years.
Maya: Secrets of the Pros-Second Edition is an excellent book! It is often hard to write a successful sequel to a good first edition, but Mr. Kundert-Gibbs and Mr. Derakhshani have hit this one out of the park. They have assembled a list of industry heavy-hitters who can and do speak with authority about the subjects they cover. If I have one criticisim, it is that I believe this book is misnamed. It is really a second volume, rather than a second edition because it contains entirely newly written content. But that is a small criticism.
It is true, this book is probably not for the new user of Maya, but the good news is that this information will stay relevant for a long time, so the neophyte should not hesitate to buy this book along side of say, Maya 5 Savvy. (Please note, I am a contributor to that book, so take that piece of advice for what it is worth!) Indeed, there are some real gems available for the beginner at the beginning of some of these chapters. For example, the beginning animator should read carefully Keith Reicher's CG Cinematography section while modelers will find Tom Capizzi's and Krishnamurti M. Costa's chapter on Advanced Character Modeling to contain bedrock solid information on the preparatory work necessary to create sophisticated models. I should say that most of the book is structured this way with excellent introduction material that rapidly accelerates into advanced instruction.
One thing to note, however, is that in several cases, the authors eschew a step-by-step approach in favor of a detailed concept description for their subjects-the section on creating Impressionistic images through Non-Photo Realistic rendering comes immediately to mind. It seems to me that in such cases, these descriptions are meant to inspire the advanced user, rather than serve as tutorials for the beginner. This can be frustrating for those who go into such a section expecting a tutorial. I believe the authors use both step-by-step and concept description appropriately throughout the book.
The book itself is handsomely printed with color images throughout. Sybex has done an excellent job of supporting the authors with high-quality paper and four-color printing.
I believe that the authors have written a unique compilation of interesting information which will remain relevant for a long. Maya users of all stripes will be taking this one down off of the shelf to find tidbits of information for years to come; I know I will!
This book is horrible!.......2004-12-12
I bought this book the other day and the last reviewer was right. The section on the Perfect Storm covered about as little as what you see in the behind the scenes extras on many dvd movies with special fx. I was highly disappointed. Look around online and you'll find much better tutorials online for free. I also found that many of the other subjects covered in the book can also be found online for free as well. SAVE YOUR MONEY.
Doesn't help you make a Perfect Storm.......2004-07-13
I didn't actually buy this book but spent a lot of time reading it in the book store. I was specifically interested in the section for the particle systems used for a Perfect Storm and sadly found that to be the book's weakest spot. I'm relatively new to 3D animation and fx so maybe I was expecting more explanation then was intended but I would have preferred a specific step-by-step tutorial than the vague trial-and-error explanation that was given in that section. There was a nice simple one-page particle system tutorial in that section that was sort of helpful but other then that I didn't really walk away with the knowledge I was looking for. I did find the rest of the book very helpful. Especially the modelling, texturing and lighting, dynamics, and crowd animation sections. I may buy it some day for those sections alone.
1 star = particle system section
5 star = everything else
total = 4
Book Description
Between the late 1970s and the late 1980s, Guatemala was torn by mass terror and extreme violence in a genocidal campaign against the Maya. Based on more than 400 testimonies, this book brings to life the chilling statistics of the Guatemalan army's intentional genocide as it chronicles the journey of Maya survi-vors seeking truth, justice, and community healing.
Customer Reviews:
Ancient Wisdom Revealed.......2007-06-27
After attending Maurice Cotterell's spell-binding lecture on the Mayans, I had to read his books. Once I began reading the Mayan Prophecy I had it read within 24 hours. Cotterell and Adrian Gilbert's research uncovered historical revelations about the Mayan ruins. Cottrell's interpretation of the Lid of Palenque reveals the genuis of the Mayans to unimaginable heights. It's an extraordinary journey reading about the Mayan' cities and viewing the rich photographs and powerful Mayan art in this book. I've read many great author's books on the Mayan's, however, Cotterells' research and interpretation disclosed a deeper understanding about the Mayan civilization and their legacy.
Book Description
Ayurveda Secrets of Healing is the most complete offering of the original cleansing and rejuvenative therapies of Pancha Karma, first taught and practiced by the ancient Vedic seers. In this definitive work, Maya Tiwari is the first author to reveal this sophisticated and timeless healing process in a way which is both comprehensive and readily adaptable to modern western culture. This book "...will be of immense value to health professionals as well as those who are interested in healing themselves," says Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Customer Reviews:
Maya Tiwari writes like Hindu Godess of Wisdom........1999-09-06
I started reading this book along with the original scripture on Ayurveda. I stopped reading the scripture when I realised that this book is authentic repoduction of sashtra (scripture). Maya Tiwari is highly meticulous and writes in lucid langauge. She writes like Hindu Godess Saraswati (Godess of Wisdom). This book is a must for all those who think Allopathy is a joke.
The healing techniques were much too complicated........1999-08-15
Other than the words to live by, the book was too complicated to either understand or put into action. Unless I totally misinterpreted the text, the proceedures had to be done by at least one other person to help. My spiritual journey is personal, I don't expect others to understand, how would you find other people to help out if they don't get it?
Book Description
Secrets of Mayan Science/Religion reveals the sacred teachings that were hidden by the Mayan priesthood shortly after the Spanish Conquistadors landed in Mexico in 1519. In this spiritual text, Hunbatz Men explores the metaphysics of ancient Mayan glyphs and the esoteric significance of the letters G, T, and O. He concludes with an explanation of the secret path to illumined consciousness of the feathered serpent, Quetzacoatl.
Customer Reviews:
instructions for being your own Quetzacoatal.......2001-01-25
perhaps this book is not the best starting point for anyone having difficulties believing that pre-Diluvian civilisations could have existed, but for those already past that obstacle it offers insights into what the Mayans, rather than those who only study the Mayans, think and feel about their culture.
it's also worth pointing out that, contrary to what the above review suggests, this text is nothing like von Daniken's writings, and Men even says in the text that such interpretations like the lid of Palenque representing a Mayan flying a spaceship are at odds with what the carvers of the stone intended to show.
lots of info. which is difficult to find elsewhere - and very recommended to anyone with an interest in Quetzacoatal.
Don't waste your money.......1999-09-10
An entirely unscientific, thoroughly biased, and mostly made-up version of Mayan religion and science. Chapter titles include things like "The letter G is a Mayan product, in pronunciation, meaning, and form." Other titles are equally absurd. (I especially liked the one about the letter 'T', which ignored the fact that Romans were crucifying people on T-shaped crosses when the Mayans were still trying to figure out how to build mud huts. I also liked the statement that humans learn to talk by singing [I'm a neurologist who studies brain function].)
Basically, the author attempts to demonstrate that most, if not all, spiritual and academic learning REALLY actually derives from Mayans. Hoo! Hoo!
This book is worse than the 1970's charade, "Chariots of the Gods," as far as accuracy of archeologic and modern facts. ("Chariots" is better because it has more pages, which makes it better toilet paper.)
This just shows the difficulties of buying books online, where you can't flip through and watch the bulls**t drip onto the floor.
An introduction to elementary concepts.......1999-07-22
The author presents very basic information regarding some Mayan teachings and symbols. A starter book for readers new to Mayan philosophy.
Book Description
My name is Tax'a Leon and this book is about my family and my people, the K'iche' Maya. My father was murdered three years ago. I still have my mother and 12 brothers and sisters. Nothing was done to solve the murder of my father or the people that turn up every day in the cornfields machetied to death. After all the things that have happened to our family there are times when I feel fear and sadness and despair in humanity. I wrote this book to tell people about the armed conflict that is still taking place in my country, Guatemala. The interviews were conducted in my native language K'iche'. People have trusted me and told me their stories. They told me with fear and anxiety in their eyes. Painting was also a way they could express how they feel without having to come up with words that consciously commit them to forming an opinion. The violence continues because no one wants to remember the past and our lips are sealed. We are afraid.. Not long ago, 200,000 people were murdered only 750 miles from Miami. There are people today in our governments who may not want you know about the worst violence that the Americas have seen in this century. This is a portrait of the Mayan people, written by a young Maya K'iche' artist, Tax'a, and her American husband Harvard Medical School researcher Douglas London. Eighty-one paintings by Mayan artists, including K'iche' children's art and photos, accompany graphic testimonies by Maya witnesses. "We Were Taught to Plant Corn not to Kill" is a stunning art book, an uncovering of the secrets behind the silence of the Mayan people and a look at the daily life and culture of the K'iche'. The Maya need your help because history is still happening to them.
Customer Reviews:
A profoundly important book that should be a part of every academic and community library collection.......2007-06-10
"We Were Taught To Plant Corn Not To Kill: Secrets Of The Silence Of The Mayan People" is about the family of young K'iche' artist Tax'a Leon and the genocide of the Mayan people in Guatemala. Her father was found in a corn field having been machetied to death three years ago. After her father's murder (which was never solved by the authorities) Tax'a continues to live with her mother and twelve brothers and sisters. Just a few years ago some 200,000 Mayan people were murdered within 750 miles of Miami, Florida. Illustrated with 81 paintings by Mayan artists and co-written with her husband Doublas London, the articulate and revealing story Tax'a presents is one of daily life and culture among the K'iche', as well as a plea for help to a people to whom incidents of racially driven mass murder is still happening. "We Were Taught To Plant Corn Not To Kill" is a profoundly important book that should be a part of every academic and community library collection, and read by students of Anthropology, Native American Studies, Human Rights, Latin American Studies, and Mayan Cultural Studies.
We Were Taught To Plant Corn Not to Kill.......2007-03-21
Like many Americans I had vague understanding Middle and South American politics. I knew there had been terrible conflicts. I knew that we, shamefully, had overthrown governments in one or more "banana republics" at the bidding of large corporations, in fear that their enslaved peasant workers would rise up and demand basic human rights. I knew there had been terrible atrocities committed in armed insurgent conflicts and, regrettably, my government always seemed to back the side of repression. I knew these things, but with so much conflict in the world, it was difficult keeping track of all the parties involved. It seemed like every week there was yet another story of some poor victimized group being hacked to death by yet another poor victimized group.
I came to this book because I had an interest in the pre Colombian Mesoamerican cultures, fueled in part by the romanticism of "lost civilizations" and ruins hidden in tropical jungles. These civilizations had great cities, an accurate calendar, a mathematical system that included a zero at a time when my northern European ancestors were barbarians living in small hunter gatherer societies. I have learned that the Maya today in Guatemala, have survived in large numbers, in spite of the collapse of their city/states, the Spanish conquistadores and their diseases, and the destruction of their written history. They have survived in small self governing communities, in lands that they have occupied since before the birth of Christ, only to be treated as hostile aliens, and a threat to be eliminated, by their own government.
The first step of genocide is dehumanization of the victims. The authors, through their unique perspective, have managed to give a face and a name to Maya of Guatemala. Their passionate desire is to bring the light of world attention to the darkness of dehumanization and genocide that threatens to be the final destruction of these ancient and proud peoples. This book is a must read for anyone who has an interest in Native American cultures or basic human rights.
Books:
- The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, c.1150-1450 (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London)
- The New Concise History of the Crusades
- The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training
- The Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Volume 1
- The Origins of the Cold War, 1941 - 1949, Third Edition
- The Plot Against America
- The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades) (Politically Incorrect Guides)
- The Secret: Unlocking the Source of Joy and Fulfillment
- The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter
- The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- 10 Secrets to Successful Home Buying and Selling: Using Your Housing Psychology to Make Smarter Deci
- The Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses, the Crossing, Cities of the Plain
- Kit Carson and the Indians
- Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
- Out With the Stars: Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era
- The Forsyte Saga
- Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease
- The Cabin Crew Interview Made Easy - Everything you need to know about being successful at a Flight
- Outbound Tourism of Australia: Market Profile
- Multifunctionality: The Policy Implications
General
| Central America
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
The Tutankhamun Prophecies: The Sacred Secret of the Maya, Egyptians, and Freemasons
The Lost Tomb of Viracocha: Unlocking the Secrets of the Peruvian Pyramids
2012: Mayan Year of Destiny
The Terracotta Warriors: The Secret Codes of the Emperor's Army
Jesus, King Arthur, and the Journey of the Grail: The Secrets of the Sun Kings
