Old civilizations of the new world,

The mystery of the orgin of man in the Americas, the history of the rise and fall of his remarkable cultures and civilizations before white men arrived in the New World, is a fascinating but little-known tale, for most of the books on the subject have been of a scientific nature. This is the first book to treat the entire subject of early man in America, the arts and crafts, the social and religious customs, the races and tribes, and their remains, in a wholly popular manner. Before white men arrived, there were many amazing races of men in South, Central and North America--Aztecs, Toltecs, Mayas, Incas, and many others. Much of the fascination of this book lies in the unsolved puzzles which the remains of their civilizations pose for modern investigators. How did these ancient people fit huge stones so closely together that even today the joinings will not admit a knife edge? How did they manage to carve the hardest jewels to a sharper delicacy than can be attained today by working with diamond dust? What was the meaning of their blood sacrifices? Why were beautiful living virgins cast into the sacred well at Chichen-Itza? A. Hyatt Verrill, author, artist, explorer, scientist, has traveled over 60,000 miles by foot, canoe, and horseback; he has visited over thirty Indian tribes; he has made ethnological and archeological collections totalling over fifteen thousand specimens. He tells a story of our own continent far more amazing than the riddle of the Sphinx. Read more