A Zapotec village chief named One Earthquake is murdered by his enemies, who then carve the gruesome image of his death on a huge stone slab and place it in their temple as a warning to others. An Inca official selects young village girls to be raised in the distant House of the Chosen Women,
where they will spend the rest of their childhoods learning traditional arts in complete seclusion. A Spanish priest named Bernardino Sahagun recounts the development of the mighty Aztec empire in Mesoamerica and witnesses its tragic overthrow by Spanish conquistadors. These are a few of the gripping stories readers will encounter in The Ancient American World. Authors William Fash and Mary E. Lyons use a wide range of primary sources including sculptures, hieroglyphs, pottery, and ancient tombs to trace the captivating history of ancient America. Readers accompany archaeologists as they unearth fantastic artifacts and spectacular buildings and decode ancient manuscripts to unlock the secrets of these cultures.

From farming to the building of great pyramids and from sacred sacrifices to the Spanish conquest, The Ancient American World uses archaeological findings and ancient texts to explore the remarkable cultures of this region.