The great ancient Aztec and Mayan city-states dominated Central and Southern America before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores in 1519. Today the unique artistry discovered throughout the relics of both these majestic cultures continues to influence and delight many of us. With 100 stunningly drawn illustrations and designs, this beautiful book evokes the stunning motifs and imagery of Mayan and Aztec artwork - and the physical and spiritual worlds from which they drew inspiration. Through colouring in this wonderful collection of steles and temples, motifs taken from traditional costumes, and exotic flora and fauna, you will be transported to another time and place, and discover your own path to creativity and relaxation.
Enter the enchanting world of the garden, where birds, insects and flowers unite to form 100 beautiful illustrations for you to make your own. From Eden to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, any garden is a symbol of peace and pleasure and this book allows you to create your own wonders of the world. Let your imagination wander between the seasons through the pages of this book and rediscover the simple, yet calming pleasure of observing nature at its finest. These 100 original illustrations offer a natural universe for you to create according to your fancy: hedge mazes, incredible topiary, elegant romantic gardens and friezes of evocative tulips of the Taj Mahal. Unleash your creativity by filling these amazing illustrations with the shades you like the most. Allow your pen to draw your attention away from the stresses and distractions of everyday life and seek relaxation in the soothing and rewarding process of colouring-in. Explore your imagination and steal a moment of calm with the help of this novel art form.
National Book Award Finalist: “This man’s ideas may be the most influential, not to say controversial, of the second half of the twentieth century.”—Columbus Dispatch At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes's still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only three thousand years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion—and indeed our future. “Don’t be put off by the academic title of Julian Jaynes’s The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Its prose is always lucid and often lyrical…he unfolds his case with the utmost intellectual rigor.”—The New York Times “When Julian Jaynes . . . speculates that until late in the twentieth millennium BC men had no consciousness but were automatically obeying the voices of the gods, we are astounded but compelled to follow this remarkable thesis.”—John Updike, The New Yorker “He is as startling as Freud was in The Interpretation of Dreams, and Jaynes is equally as adept at forcing a new view of known human behavior.”—American Journal of Psychiatry
Illuminates the complexities of Aztec life. Readers meet a people highly skilled in sculpture, astronomy, city planning, poetry, and philosophy, who were also profoundly committed to cosmic regeneration through the thrust of the ceremonial knife and through warfare.
In this rich and surprising book, Frances F. Berdan shines fresh light on the enigmatic ancient Aztecs. She casts her net wide, covering topics as diverse as ethnicity, empire-building, palace life, etiquette, origin myths, and human sacrifice. While the Aztecs are often described as “stone age,” their achievements were remarkable. They constructed lofty temples and produced fine arts in precious stones, gold, and shimmering feathers. They crafted beautiful poetry and studied the sciences. They had schools and libraries, entrepreneurs and money, and a bewildering array of deities and dramatic ceremonies. Based on the latest research and lavishly illustrated, this book reveals the Aztecs to have created a civilization of sophistication and finesse.
Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Apr. 1-July 1, 2012 and at the Dallas Museum of Art, July 29-Nov. 25, 2012.
The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs, the first of its kind, provides a current overview of recent research on the Aztec empire, the best documented prehispanic society in the Americas. Chapters span from the establishment of Aztec city-states to the encounter with the Spanish empire and the Colonial period that shaped the modern world. Articles in the Handbook take up new research trends and methodologies and current debates. The Handbook articles are divided into seven parts. Part I, Archaeology of the Aztecs, introduces the Aztecs, as well as Aztec studies today, including the recent practice of archaeology, ethnohistory, museum studies, and conservation. The articles in Part II, Historical Change, provide a long-term view of the Aztecs starting with important predecessors, the development of Aztec city-states and imperialism, and ending with a discussion of the encounter of the Aztec and Spanish empires. Articles also discuss Aztec notions of history, writing, and time. Part III, Landscapes and Places, describes the Aztec world in terms of its geography, ecology, and demography at varying scales from households to cities. Part IV, Economic and Social Relations in the Aztec Empire, discusses the ethnic complexity of the Aztec world and social and economic relations that have been a major focus of archaeology. Articles in Part V, Aztec Provinces, Friends, and Foes, focuses on the Aztec's dynamic relations with distant provinces, and empires and groups that resisted conquest, and even allied with the Spanish to overthrow the Aztec king. This is followed by Part VI, Ritual, Belief, and Religion, which examines the different beliefs and rituals that formed Aztec religion and their worldview, as well as the material culture of religious practice. The final section of the volume, Aztecs after the Conquest, carries the Aztecs through the post-conquest period, an increasingly important area of archaeological work, and considers the place of the Aztecs in the modern world.
Buddhism was born in India during the 6th century BC. Today, thousands of years later, its teachings and philosophy are still taught and followed worldwide. From China to Japan, through Tibet and Vietnam, as well as Europe and America, Buddha's vision survives and can be discovered and experienced through beautiful and colourful works of art. Featuring 100 intricately drawn illustrations, this unique book evokes the splendid designs and imagery that lie at the heart of the Buddhist faith. Buddhism's quest for harmony and inner peace which has led to the creation of varied artistic and spiritual representations, at times bursting with colour and life. Colouring in ephemeral mandalas, Dharmachakras, levitating Buddhas and other auspicious motifs will transport the reader to a place of serenity and help reach a state of calm and meditation.
