Yucatan Before and After the Conquest

A rare firsthand account of Maya life emerges from the same figure responsible for erasing much of it. This translation presents Diego de Landa's defense of his actions in 1562, offering one of the few surviving descriptions of Maya society, ritual practice, scientific knowledge, and artistic traditions before Spanish domination. Framed by William Gates's detailed contextual notes, the text situates de Landa within the broader trajectory of Maya decline and the cultural upheavals that followed the conquest. The result is a stark portrait of a world in transition, revealing both the richness of Maya civilization and the profound losses inflicted during the colonial encounter. This edition underscores the lasting importance of de Landa's testimony for understanding what endured-and what vanished-of the ancient Maya.