The Mayan

The Mayan is a historical novel set in the Yucatan in the late 10th century and details the decline and fall of the Mayan empire at the hands of the violent Toltecs. The story is seen through the eyes of Chicchan, a Mayan physician who, on the eve of his execution at the Sacred Well, remembers the complex and inexorable conquest of his people and their way of life, recalling as well as his own pivotal role in their defense and ultimate destruction. Chicchan's story is at once both personal and worldly, as his adventures and associations allow him to witness and participate in the major events leading to his people's demise. The reader meets a panorama of powerful figures whose swift, violent means of ascent define the mysterious yet allegorical tale of the Maya. While historical, the story has a contemporary resonance, as the same factors that led to the Mayan's decay and destruction are cautionary symptoms for every advanced civilization today.