Here is an original and exciting guide to the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas -- and the people who went before them. Stunning full-color photographs of weapons and tools, sculpture, metalwork and ceramics offer a unique "eyewitness" view of these rich and complex civilizations. See an Aztec sacrificial knife, a Teotihuacan mask made from turquoise and coral, a life-size statue of an eagle warrior and a Peruvian mummy bundle. Learn what a Mayan market looked like, why jade was so valuable to the people of Mesoamerica, the techniques used by Aztec goldsmiths and why the quetzal bird was so important. Discover why the Aztecs made human sacrifices, how to play the ball game, what sort of clothes Mayan women wore and how the Mayan calendar worked. And much, much more!