The British anthropologist and archaeologist Thomas Athol Joyce (1878-1942) made American archaeology more accessible to non-specialist readers, also stimulating further study. This highly illustrated textbook, first published in 1914, focuses on Mexico and the Maya, providing a thorough overview of their culture, society and mythology.

An anthropologist and archaeologist working for much of his life at the British Museum, Thomas Athol Joyce (1878-1942) succeeded in making American archaeology more accessible to non-specialists. Through careful analysis and presentation of the available evidence from South and Central America, he secured his reputation as an authority in this field, especially with regard to Mayan civilisation. Drawing on his wide reading of the published literature, he produced three pioneering and highly illustrated textbooks. The present work appeared in 1914 and focuses on Mexican and Mayan culture. The topics discussed include social structure and daily life, warfare, trade and architecture, as well as religious observance and mythology. Particular attention is paid to the calendar, with appendices providing the names of days and months along with a provisional dating scheme. Joyce's South American Archaeology (1912) and Central American and West Indian Archaeology (1916) are also reissued in this series.