This fascinating history explores the cultural roots of our civilization's obsession with the end of the world. Busting the myth of the ancient Maya prediction that time would end in 2012, Matthew Restall and Amara Solari build on their previous book, 2012 and the End of the World, to use the Maya case to connect such seemingly disparate historical events as medieval European millenarianism, Moctezuma's welcome to Cortes, Franciscan missionizing in Mexico, prophetic traditions in Yucatan, and the growing belief today in conspiracies and apocalypses. In demystifying the 2012 phenomenon, the authors draw on their decades of scholarship to provide an accessible and engaging explanation of what Mayas and Aztecs really believed, how Judeo-Christian apocalypticism became part of the Indigenous Mesoamerican and modern American worlds, and why millions continue to anticipate an imminent Doomsday.

About the Author

Matthew Restall and Amara Solari are specialists in Maya culture and in colonial Mexican history and art history. Both teach at the Pennsylvania State University, where Restall is a Sparks Professor in history and anthropology, and Solari is professor of art history and anthropology. His books include Maya Conquistador, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, and When Montezuma Met Cortes. Her books include Maya Ideologies of the Sacred and Idolizing Mary. They recently coauthored The Maya: A Very Short Introduction.

Book Information
ISBN 9781538154984
Author Matthew Restall
Format Paperback
Page Count 168
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 204g
Dimensions(mm) 218mm * 141mm * 9mm