The glory that was Mesoamerica
Uncovering the secrets of the past
Aztec history and mythology
Unlocking the secrets of Maya society.
Creation and the first peoples
The power in the centre: cosmology
Order from chaos: Maya creation stories
Both one and two: Aztec creation stories
The hero twins and seven macaw
The triumph of the hero twins
The celestial weaving girl
Many faces of the sun god
Deluge: the universal flood
Lord of the smoking mirror
Quetzalcoatl and the raft of snakes
Waters, fertility and harvest
The sacrifice of blood and water
Mother earth and her flowers
The paradise of the flower goddess
The Bacabs and the cosmic tree
The hero twins and the underworld
Risen from the underworld
Quetzalcoatl and his twin in Mictlan
The golden reign of Topiltzin
The Quiche Maya seek a home
Visions of triumph and downfall
An empire lost, an empire won.
3,000 years of civilization
Teotihuacan: city of the gods
The Mixtecs and the Toltecs
The coming of the Spaniards
Desert, mountain, lake and jungle
Jungle cities of the Maya
Sacred mountains in the jungle
'Water mountain': Tenochtitlan
On the edge: Copan and Jaina Island
Many types of blood offering
One above all others: the supreme god?
Communion with the divine
Warfare and military life
Chain of command: the Aztec army
City-states in constant conflict
War between Mayapan and Chichen Itza
Royal power, law and order
Sun king: the glory of King Pacal
Wise governance, strict punishment
Clans and power: Maya social groups
The many levels of Aztec society
Starting from zero: mathematics
Three into one: interlocking calendars
Royal scribes and codices.
