For a thousand years the dense rain forests of Central America concealed the ruins of one of the world's great civilizations, that of the ancient Maya. Early explorers found themselves in cities dominated by steep temple pyramids and fallen idols covered in unfathomable hieroglyphs. Since the mid-nineteenth century, scholars have tried to understand the mysterious people who produced one of the greatest flowerings of art and culture in the New World. Behind the ruined Maya cities and their abandoned artworks—the superb sculptures of Copan, the fine vase painting of Naranjo, the mighty pyramids of Tikal and Calakmul—lie the turbulent stories of their ruling dynasties. The recent tremendous progress in reading Maya hieroglyphs is now bringing this story into focus. Here is the first book to bring together and examine the greatest Maya dynasties in a single volume. Two of the world's leading experts in Maya hieroglyphic decipherment reveal the latest thinking on the nature of Maya divine kingship, statehood, and political authority, and describe the most recent readings and archaeological finds, including their own discoveries. 250 illustrations, 100 in color.

Key features of the book include:

* biographical accounts of 152 kings and four ruling queens; * royal names spelled in hieroglyphs, plus datafiles listing lineage, spouses and children, and place of burial; * special features and boxes, ranging from the supernatural journeys of the dead kings to the Maya ballgame; * timelines providing at-a-glance visual guides to the length and key events of each reign.

There's nothing else like this book. It supersedes everything else ever written onMaya history. (Michael D. Coe, author of Breaking the Maya Code)