About the Author

J. Eric S. Thompson, one of the world's foremost Maya scholars, is a veteran of archaeological field expeditions to southern Mexico and Central America. Associated with the Carnegie Institution of Washington for many years, he now lives near Cambridge, England, where he continues his investigations of Maya hieroglyphic writing. He is the author of A Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs and Maya Hieroglyphic Writing: An Introduction, both invaluable tools for Mayanists. His other books include The Rise and Fall of Maya Civilization, the classic account of the prehistoric Mayas, and Maya Archaeologist, the delightful story of his archaeological adventures. All are published by the University of Oklahoma Press.