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Maya Archaeologist
By J. Thompson
Maya Archaeologist is an autobiographical account of explorations in Mayan ruins by J. Eric Thompson, one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Maya Indians of Mexico and Central America. Based on his expeditions from 1926 to 1936 - when conditions in the Maya area were very close to those in the years of the Conquest - this book is an intensely personal account of the investigation of the "stone cities," such as Uxmal, Chichén Itzá, Copán, Tikal, and Quirigua, as well as lively portraits of the archaeologists who probed this civilization - Morley, Gann, Ruppert, Vaillant, Roys, and many others.
"Thompson has been one of the most consistent of Maya scholars, and one of its most graceful writers. His books are written with a warmth that penetrates the austere Maya monuments, and they possess a feeling for the present-day Maya as well." - New York Times.
"Maya Archaeologist is a veritable textbook of Maya prehistory and ethnology, presented in such an easy way that ’Maya Without Tears’ would be an equally appropriate title. For this reason, the book is recommended reading for layman and professional Mayanist alike." - Michael D. Coe, The Americas.
"Sound archaeological information is blended with entertaining reminiscence…. That the author is entirely at home in the Maya world is evident from his informal and genial tone. His dedication to this fascinating field comes through." - American Journal of Archaeology.
"A delightful collection of informal, often humorous reminiscences…. Today’s young ethnologists, wallowing in their social scientese jargon and often confusing their readers if not themselves, would do well to read his accurate and contemplative observations." - American Anthropologist.
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