Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen, the first book in the Novels of the Final Prophecy series, just released on 3 June 2008. It is the first book in a series featuring Mayan gods and goddesses and the END OF THE WORLD! Get your excerpt here. Ms. Andersen recently guested here at TGTBTU (see here and here). The Maya, huh? Certainly an unusual element for a paranormal romance novel. Since your knowledge of this ancient civilization may be a bit rusty (or non-existent), Ms. Andersen has provided us with some interesting tidbits.
Did you know…?
- During the spring equinox, the architecture and carvings of El Castillo, the main pyramid at Chichen Itza, form a snake-shaped shadow crawling down the entire side of the pyramid, paying homage to Kulkulkan, the Mayans’ feathered serpent god.
- The ancient Maya had the only fully developed writing system in the New World.
- Despite movies depicting Mayan gold, the Maya weren’t known as metalworkers. They carved stone, particularly jade and obsidian, worked pottery, wove intricate textiles and wrote books called codices that were made of folded fig bark painted with limestone. All but four of these books were destroyed by the Conquistadors and their missionaries.
- The ancient Maya built their intricately carved temples and pyramids largely without the aid of the wheel or metal tools.
Consider yourself smarter!
