About the story.... 'The Luck of the Maya’ is an adventure with science fiction overtones and even a love interest. It takes place partly in the Petén jungle of southern México, partly in Houston and Austin with side trips to Chicago and New York and occasionally Las Vegas. The story is told from the perspective of 2017 and set mostly in the late 1970s, the important target date is December 21, 2012—the end of the 5126 year long-count cycle of the ancient Mayan Calendar—when unusual things have been predicted to happen. There are Mayan Elders, gangsters, unpredictable hillbillies, an incredibly beautiful and highly trained Mayan operative, shrimp boats, treks through the jungle, death, and some weddings.

The stars of the PBS KIDS GO! programming block are featured in this original story. When Maya finds a magical antique hat at Easter, it seems to be making her wishes come true. But when a promised wish doesn't come true, Maya must put real effort into making a good thing happen. Full color.

Two leading Maya scholars tell this story of the rediscovery of the queen of Maya cities--Palenque--deep in the forest-clad mountains of southeastern Mexico. 150 illustrations.

Through pen-and ink drawings and watercolours, this book recount the 19th century epic of the art of illustration and the rediscovery of history's great Maya civilization. Frederick Catherwood produced artwork-depicting views of ancient monuments with great accuracy. Although he was trained as an architect, his real passion in life was art, particularly portraying ancient cultures. He was a man who loved to travel which was a significant influence on his art. At the age of 40, Catherwood accompanied a successful writer named John Lloyd Stephens to Central America. What they found on their trip amazed them: wonderfully majestic but deserted cities. The ruins in these cities were the inspiration of Catherwood's art, created by using a camera lucida (an optic device that preceded the invention of photography) to aid him in his drawings. The artwork that Catherwood produced was vivid and intriguing and became a best seller. Central America was not the only place that Catherwood went to get inspiration for his artwork. Before devoting himself to the discovery of the Mayas, he disguised himself as a.

The Selva Maya (Jungle of the Maya) is one of the world's most magical yet least appreciated places—an enormous tropical forest that encompasses much of Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. At 9,000,000 acres, it is the largest contiguous tropical forest north of the Amazon in the Western Hemisphere. Within its borders, the Selva Maya provides habitat for an astonishing diversity of plants and animals—more than 500 species of birds alone. The forest also contains the fascinating ruins of ancient Maya cities, which attract visitors and researchers from all over the globe. Jungle of the Maya presents a stunning photographic portrait of this irreplaceable natural treasure. Nature photographers Douglas Goodell and Jerry Barrack capture the living wonders of the jungle—jaguars and other cats; spider and howler monkeys; hummingbirds and butterflies; and snakes, amphibians, and insects—as well as the region's hallmark Maya sites, including Tikal, Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Tulum. Environmental writer Jim Wright invitingly describes the Selva Maya's natural and human history, helping visitors and residents appreciate the riches to be found in the forest and the need to protect and preserve them for generations to come. Because human activities are encroaching more and more on the Mayan forest, Jungle of the Maya is a beautiful book with a timely message. As renowned naturalist Archie Carr III sums it up in his foreword, "Today, the Selva Maya is at risk again. As modern beings, can we manage the forest better than we believe the ancient Maya did? We should. We have the archaeological record to draw from. We have modern science. And we still have inspiration whispered to us by spirits in the great plazas of Tikal and beyond. Turn the pages, and witness."

The myth and ceremony of Maya beliefs have been sustained for over five hundred years in spite of massacres, persecution, and discrimination.