"An insightful collection, rich in new data and insights; at once the harvest of a generation of fieldwork and the foundation for work to come."--Mary E. Miller, coauthor of The Spectacle of the Late Maya Court: Reflections on the Murals of Bonampak    
 
"Reminds us that there are always new things to learn about iconic places like Chichen Itza and that we can fall in love with them all over again."--Jennifer P. Mathews, coeditor of Lifeways in the Northern Maya Lowlands: New Approaches to Archaeology in the Yucatan Peninsula  
 
"Long overdue. Brings together new data and interpretations about Chichen Itza through a refreshing mix of art history and archaeology, particularistic interpretation, and cross-cultural modeling."--Scott R. Hutson, author of The Ancient Urban Maya: Neighborhoods, Inequality, and Built Form
 
Chichen Itza, the legendary capital and trading hub of the late Maya civilization, continues to fascinate visitors and researchers with unanswered questions about its people, rulers, rituals, economics, religion, politics, and even chronology. Addressing many of these current debates, contributors to Landscapes of the Itza question when the city's construction was completed, what the purposes of its famous pyramid and other buildings were, whether the city maintained strict territorial borders, and how the city's influence was felt in smaller neighboring settlements such as Popola, Ichmul de Morley, and Ek Balam. Special attention is given to the site's visual culture, including its architecture, epigraphy, ceramics, sculptures, and murals. This volume is a much-needed update on recent archaeological and art historical work being done at Chichen Itza, offering new ways of understanding the site and its role in the Yucatan landscape.
 
Linnea Wren, professor emerita of art history at Gustavus Adolphus College, is the editor of the two-volume Perspectives on Western Art. Cynthia Kristan-Graham, former instructor of art history at the Atlanta College of Art and an instructor at Auburn University, is coeditor of Memory Traces: Analyzing Sacred Space at Five Mesoamerican Sites. Travis Nygard is associate professor of art at Ripon College. Kaylee Spencer is associate professor of art at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
 
Contributors: Péter Bíró | Geoffrey Braswell | Annabeth Headrick | Scott Johnson | Cynthia Kristan-Graham | Virginia E. Miller | Travis Nygard | Eduardo Pérez de Heredia | Nancy Peniche May | J. Gregory Smith | Kaylee Spencer | Beniamino Volta | Linnea Wren

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A long overdue update on the last couple of decades of work by archaeologists, art historians, and other at this great site. It sets the stage for the next generation of research that we can hope will answer many of Chichén Itzá’s perplexing questions.
--American Archaeology