Andrew Coe
1 Is this book up to date?
I know it's hard to keep up to date, but that's why new editions are published. What got my attention was the fact that this book's description of getting to Yaxchilan clearly pre-dates the construction of a paved road from Palenque all the way along the Guatemala border to Lagunas de Montebello. The publication date of the book is September 2001, yet the road was opened in 2000 and must have been under construction for some time before then. I hate it when something I know is wrongly described in a book; it makes me mistrust the rest of it.
2 Disappointing
I really looked forward to this book and took it with me on my tour of mayan sites in the Yucatan. However, I found that this book offered very little more than was available on the posted signage at the sites. Also, many of the maps are inadequate. I often found myself going to my Lonely Planet guide (Belize, Guatemala & Yucatan) for more detailed maps and decriptions of archeological sites.
Although the author presents the sites in a "tour" format, in practice it is hard to follow, and since the descriptions lack photos, it's very difficult to compare what you're seeing with what's written in the book. Although there are photos of the sites, but not of the specific items that the author is describing.
3 Small, simple & useful
this book can be deceiving, it's small, doen't use very technnical language, fits in your backpack and looks very innocent. But is full of information, maps, step by step guides to the sites and some tips on hanging around the sites.
I'm not disapointed of buying it.
4 Disappointing
Well, I am going to go out on a limb and say that I found the book disappointing. Maybe that just shows my preference for an all-around guide that covers many subjects. I felt that most of the information was already available in other guides. However, since seeing the excellent reviews given here, I will be re-reading the book to try to find out what I missed!
5 This is the best guide book to Mexico's archaeological sites
This is the best guide book to Mexico's archaeological sites written in the 20th century. As a professional archaeologist who has worked in Mexico since 1961, I have visited virtually every archaeological site he describes and read almost every guide book published in English or Spanish. Coe is accurate, informative, and interesting. This book will be in my backpack on every trip to Mexico in the future.
6 Excellent!
Outstanding! This is a book that will delight any traveler interested in the histories of Mexico's ancient cities and how best to visit and understand the sites today.
7 Great Guide!
Follow this guy anywhere he goes. An amazing guide. In a category of it's own.
