The Maya Haven't Disappeared
Original title: Les Mayas n’ont pas disparu
Synopsis
“Here’s a fascinating and often amusing book about the huge misunderstanding that has existed for centuries in Western society concerning the Maya.” — France Info
“Palenque, Chichen Itza, Tikal – these names of abandoned Mayan cities continue to fuel our fascination with a lost world that has finally collapsed, taking with it the secret of a civilization that has been erased forever. Yet, as our guest of the day argues, the Mayas did not disappear.” — France Culture
Maya: the word conjures up images of abandoned pyramids in a lush jungle; decrepit, formerly gilded metropolises emanating a powerful whiff of adventure and mystery. It also conjures up the notion of ancient wisdom and a connection to unspoiled nature bursting with magical power. Centuries of fascination for lost exotic cultures have fossilized around those four letters. Even more than for other ancient civilizations, the gray areas surrounding Mayan history have fueled people’s imagination. Every era has instrumentalized the so-called Maya collapse to support its own ideas. This book’s purpose is to lift the veil woven from our own fantasies that has been concealing the real Maya for so long.
Avoiding clichés, Chloé Andrieu reveals the history of a population with a sophisticated culture that is still alive, one whose struggles and ways of living in the world could provide inspiration for the rest of us now.