Late in the 15th century the discovery of the New World revealed to the Europeans the existence of peoples and cultures whose forms of artistic and intellectual expression were totally different to their own but of immense appeal. While at that time the white Conquistadores had no interest in and were perhaps incapable of appreciating and respecting this cultural heritage, for some considerable time now the so-called pre-Columbian civilisations have been rediscovered and archaeologists are attempting to reconstruct their marvellous cultural mosaic, the roots of which lie in an historical substrata predating the Christian era by some thousands of years. The aim of this book is to trace the development of some of the civilisations that emerged in the Mesoamerican region and gave rise to surprisingly advanced and sophisticated cities. The Olmecs, Maya, Aztecs and other less well known groups have in fact left extraordinary evidence of their passing in the form of great architectural complexes, monumental sculptures, ceramics, jewellery and surprising written records that have only recently given up their secrets. This volume also intends to underline the importance of the so-called minor cultures that have until now been unknown to the public at large but which nonetheless contributed to the economic and cultural development of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The work is characterised by a dual scientific and generalist approach to provide all readers with in-depth information - that is both stimulating and comprehensible - concerning a world that is still far from contemporary models. Concise but exhaustive captions, comprehensive iconographical references, numerous colour plates, line drawings and black and white maps complement the text and contextualise the cultural parallels and ideologies of the various civilisations in question within the chronological sequence in the most reliable and attractive manner possible. ILLUSTRATIONS: 416 colour photos