Professor Van Weathers has just revolutionized the teaching of Maya archaeology. His lifelike computer simulation XibalbO 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— his 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 XibalbO, 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.
- ISBN10 0759108781
- ISBN13 9780759108783
- Publish Date 26 May 2005 (first published 20 May 2005)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 27 January 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint AltaMira Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 288
- Language English