Culture Of The Maya

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30278, 2 November 1963, Page 3

Culture Of The Maya

Secret of the Forest by Wolfgang Cordon. Gollancz., 190 pp.

This book, a translation of an earlier German edition, is the personal account of the experiences of a dedicated and almost fanatical archaeologist. Wolfgang Cordan has for some ten years specialised in Maya and pre-Maya culture. His dedication to his research is complete and has involved his “going bush” to the extent of taking a Lacandon wife and sharing the life of the Lacandon, the last surviving descendant of the Maya, in the depths of the forests of th» Yucatan peninsular in Central America. Cordan appears completely at home with the “natives” and they with him and his involvement with their way of life has made him wary and suspicious of his fellow white man.

Essentially the book records two major expeditions, expeditions that are remarkable both for their lack of equipment, preparation and financial backing as well as in the results achieved under conditions of almost incredible hardship. Cordan's major aim is the exploration of the Maya calendar and he succeeds in providing considerable evidence for the existence of pre-Columbian culture far earlier than has hitherto been accepted. Another notable first is his translation of some of the, so-called, noncalendric glyph’s and Cordan's success in this was in no small measure due to his intimate life with the Lacandon. While most of the book is concerned with archaeological discovery and argument well documented with a fine series of photographs, much of Cordan’s views, and these are strong ones, on the structure of modern central American society comes through. He is particularly seathing concerning the Spanish way of life and the exploitation of the Indian population. He believe® that if there is hope, in the far future, for Latin America, that hope lies with the Indian population. Of Mexico Cordan writes: ‘This country will be Indian or it will be nothing.”

Never forget Thurber’s sentence illustrating wrong usage of "pretty” and “little." He imagined a visitor to the city remarking, “That building is pretty ugly and a little big tor its surroundings.” i