| 
Click to order from publisher |
Xibalbá Gate
Xibalbá Gate is published by AltaMira
Press as an introductory textbook to Mesoamerican archaeology.
Professor Van Weathers has just revolutionized the teaching of Maya archaeology.
His lifelike computer simulation Xibalbá Gate places his students
in the world of the Late Classic Maya, where political strife, overpopulation,
warfare, and social disorganization are in evidence in the soon-to-collapse
civilization. Weathers' real life is also under strain—is wife is
disenchanted, his son a cynic, his students disinterested, his excavation
project blocked by a mysterious Latin American holding company. No wonder
he loses himself in the world of King Knot Eye of Xultunich for days on
end. But the real world problems magnify—a murder, an illness, an
explosion—while he tries to negotiate a treaty with a neighboring
city, marry the king's daughter, and engage in a bloodletting ceremony
to right a world out of balance. Can he solve the rapidly-merging problems
of his virtual world and the modern one while the Nine Lords of Xibalbá,
rulers of the Maya underworld, are on the loose? This novel/textbook by
noted writer and futurist Rob Swigart offers both an accurate reconstruction
of Maya life for introductory archaeology students and an entertaining
read for those interested in the Maya world.
“This is the best novel I have read in some time. And the Maya
supernatural domain is accurately portrayed. Students of the Maya should
fasten their seatbelts and hang on tight for this adventure, where two
apparently separate worlds become fascinatingly less so.”
—Payson Sheets, University of Colorado
“Xibalbá Gate is a temple-sized shot of adrenalin in the
guise of politically savvy kings, cunning courtiers, sinister court
dwarfs, ever-resourceful sorcerers, mostly faithful—and ever superstitious—peasant
farmers, and more, whose uniquely luxuriant religious shtick breathes
vibrant life into the Classic Maya—so much so that the ancient
Maya who are so distanced from us in time and space intrude themselves
into every reader's contemporary life. Want your students to take on
the material remains of the long-gone Maya seriously, intensely, and
intimately? Assign Swigart's book. You'll hear a chorus chanting, ‘bring
on the dates, phases, and pottery types!’”
—William Rathje, Stanford University
“The author has combined the lively intrigue of a well-crafted
novel with a distinctly 21st-century take on every archaeologist’s
fantasy. In this case, the fantasy time machine is cast as a computer
simulation that takes readers—like the players in the book—deep
into the lowland Maya world on the eve of the Classic collapse. Like
today’s increasingly realistic computer games, the increasingly
gripping narrative will capture students and faculty alike. And when
the chills subside, will provide lots of opportunity and incentive for
talking about events and conditions of the Terminal Classic.”
—Wendy Ashmore, University of California, Riverside
|
