In a dream, Maya prayer man, Pablo Balam, learns that the path of life (kuxan sum) is under threat. Running from Lord Jaguar's sacred altar at the Chichén Itza pyramids in Mexico up through Texas and continuing north, the kuxan sum is an ancient, energetic path that shields the earth from disaster. The protector of every village, Lord Jaguar serves as the guardian of prophecy and the enabler of the living cord connecting the people of the Americas to the heavens (the kuxan sum).Working with the striking, Nigerian priestess, Kemi Adisa, Pablo goes on a quest to defeat the dark forces bent on destroying the power of Lord Jaguar and the path he protects. The fabulously wealthy estate where Pablo and Kemi work holds the secrets of an evil man whose destructive actions are blocking the power of the kuxan sum. In order to save millions from impending catastrophe, Pablo and Kemi must uncover his secrets and restore the protective power of the nine Maya Underworlds. Relying on the ancient wisdom of their spiritual traditions and their own wits, this duo risk everything to go to battle with this dark power.

Living and working among the Tz'utujil Maya people of Santiago Atitlán in highland Guatemala for some fifteen years, Vincent Stanzione has observed, photographed, and participated in their ritual and ceremonial life, which he describes with unique authority in this account of the continuities in Mayan culture from pre-Columbian times to the present. "This book represents both a confirmation and an innovation in the scholarship and field work about the religious imagination and rites of passage of Maya peoples. I know of no book that is as able to a) link the pre-Hispanic, colonial and contemporary religious practices of these peoples into a coherent narrative, b) combine anthropological/religious studies theory with linguistics and ongoing field work as creatively and c) illuminate the debate between models of 'syncretism' and 'transculturation' about a contemporary ritual cycle as Stanzione's beautifully illustrated work."--David Carrasco, Harvard University

Simón Bolívar’s heart, allegedly separated from his body during an autopsy, has been the focus of many folk tales. While most of these stories have never been well-documented, they inspire millions in Venezuela, Colombia, Perú, Bolivia, and Ecuador—all of whom look to Bolívar as their “father and protector.” This historical novel seeks to find the truth of what really happened to Bolívar’s heart as it follows Isabel Condorcanqui, who attempts to kill herself as soon as a unit of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement surrounds the house where she’s being held by Mexican smugglers. Isabel ends up in the psychiatric ward of a Dallas hospital after making manic accusations against authorities far removed from the scene, both chronologically and geographically. Peruvian officials, she says, had kidnapped her. Gloria García, a licensed attorney in Texas, and her boss, David Levin, must sort through her story to find out who Isabel really is as they try to save her from being deported back to Perú As a passionate advocate of global education, author Margaret Donnelly taps into the Quechua version of what happened to Bolívar’s heart in this thrilling story that weaves history with humanitarian, economic, and political issues of today.

In the sacred lands of Danibaan and Liobaa, where gods still whisper among the mountains and jungle, the fate of two souls is intertwined with the future of an entire kingdom. Quetzal, a warrior forged in the flames of battle, and Naya, a princess whose kindness rivals her bravery, must face challenges that will test their love, courage, and faith in a better future. When darkness threatens to consume their world, Quetzal and Naya embark on an epic struggle, not only for the survival of their people but for the promise of a tomorrow filled with hope and unity. With the help of ancient allies and the power of a mysterious talisman, they must confront forces beyond their comprehension and the secrets that lie in the depths of their own history. Heart of Jade is a story of love, sacrifice, and redemption, where past and present intertwine in a mosaic of ancestral traditions and epic conflicts. As legends become reality and myths come to life, the protagonists will discover that true power resides in the heart, and that some battles are fought not only with weapons but with the strength of the spirit.

Based on a true story, The Jaguar's Heart brings to life the first encounter of Maya and European in the 16th century. It tells the story of Gonzalo Guerrero, a Spanish sailor shipwrecked on the coast of Yucatan in 1511, between Columbus' discovery of the Americas and Cortez' conquest of Mexico. Maya lords enslave Guerrero and his fellow castaways, but he eventually gains his freedom. Encountering Ix Chan Can, the beautiful younger sister of the Maya lord Nachan Can, Guerrero chooses to remain among her people and win her love. Guerrero earns renown in a war against Nachan Can's enemies, and finally Ix Chan Can's hand. After they have two children, the only other still-living castaway, the clergyman Jeronimo de Aguilar, brings word of Cortez' landing. Guerrero refuses to rejoin his countrymen, cleaving to his family. But with Aguilar as interpreter, Cortez conquers the Aztecs, and the Spaniards inevitably return to impose their rule and religion on the Maya. Nachan Can now demands that Guerrero fight, and at last accepting that he must do so to protect his family, Guerrero tragically stakes his life for his adoptive people against ever-mounting odds. The Jaguar's Heart reveals the struggle of a man caught between cultures and conflicting loyalties at a pivotal moment in the history of the Americas. It is a book with the captivating setting of Gary Jennings' Aztec and its sequels, yet which reveals the humanity of both Spaniard and Indian, and with the compelling theme of W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear's Contact: The Battle for America series.

Diego DiSilva escapes death at the hands of the man he called father only to be thrust into an uncertain future with a shadowy Cortez, his alien allies the dark Suns, and a Mexica emperor determined to drive Cortez and the Dark Suns from the New World. Diego must overcome his fear of his psychic abilities and escape Cortez and his allies if he is to survive. His curiosity about a book called The Codex of Flowering Butterfly ends in a chance encounter with an alien device used by the Dark Suns. Diego flees to the camp of the Mexica where he confronts his greatest fear as he trains to become a Light Dancer and face the Mind Jewel. Can he overcome his past and his fears in time to help the Mexica drive the Dark Suns from their land? And what of the strange prophecy that states a war will start in this world and end in another? As Diego is drawn deeper into the conflict between old enemies, he finds that knowledge is his best ally.

Tedlock's photographs and diagrams accompany the text, capturing nuances not apparent in the dialogue alone. He also provides an introduction and commentary that explains the historical events compressed into the play, the Spanish influence on the Mayan dramatic tradition, and the cultural and religious world preserved in this remarkable play."--BOOK JACKET.

Daughter of the Pyramids Naomi is writing a novel set in ancient Mexico and accidentally turns into her heroine, Marigold. Marigold is on a journey from her home in the city of the pyramids, Teotihuacan, to the Maya city of Tikal. While Naomi experiences Marigolds adventures, including a passion for a mysterious Maya lord, she is also desperate to get back to her own world in Morristown, New Jersey. She discovers the secret of time travel but no longer knows whether she wants to live in the present or the past. And, which man will she choose, the young archaeologist or the ruler of Tikal? Colonial Tales are eight short stories set in Colonial Mexico and deal with love, friendship, and betrayal in the New World.

As archaeologists peel away the jungle covering that has both obscured and preserved the ancient Maya cities of Mexico and Central America, other scholars have only a limited time to study and understand the sites before the jungle, weather, and human encroachment efface them again, perhaps forever. This urgency underlies Yaxchilan: The Design of a Maya Ceremonial City, Carolyn Tate's comprehensive catalog and analysis of all the city's extant buildings and sculptures. During a year of field work, Tate fully documented the appearance of the site as of 1987. For each sculpture and building, she records its discovery, present location, condition, measurements, and astronomical orientation and reconstructs its Long Counts and Julian dates from Calendar Rounds. Line drawings and photographs provide a visual document of the art and architecture of Yaxchilan. More than mere documentation, however, the book explores the phenomenon of art within Maya society. Tate establishes a general framework of cultural practices, spiritual beliefs, and knowledge likely to have been shared by eighth-century Maya people. The process of making public art is considered in relation to other modes of aesthetic expression, such as oral tradition and ritual. This kind of analysis is new in Maya studies and offers fresh insight into the function of these magnificent cities and the powerful role public art and architecture play in establishing cultural norms, in education in a semiliterate society, and in developing the personal and community identities of individuals. Several chapters cover the specifics of art and iconography at Yaxchilan as a basis for examining the creation of the city in the Late Classic period. Individual sculptures are attributed to the hands of single artists and workshops, thus aiding in dating several of the monuments. The significance of headdresses, backracks, and other costume elements seen on monuments is tied to specific rituals and fashions, and influence from other sites is traced. These analyses lead to a history of the design of the city under the reigns of Shield Jaguar (A.D. 681-741) and Bird Jaguar IV (A.D. 752-772). In Tate's view, Yaxchilan and other Maya cities were designed as both a theater for ritual activities and a nexus of public art and social structures that were crucial in defining the self within Maya society.