Yucatan at the Time of the Spanish Encounter : Hispanic Economics Inc. : 9781939879028 : 1939879027 : 15 May 2013 : In an ambitious new translation of Diego de Landa's Account of the Things of Yucatán (Relación de las cosas de Yucatán), the editor revises and updates the language for the contemporary reader of English. In the process he captures the narrative power and intensity, the nuances and subtleties of meaning and the emotions of Landa's history of Yucatán at the time of Spanish arrival, conquest, and settlement of the peninsula. Landa's observations speak of his intellectual curiosity about and of his respect for the First Peoples of Yucatán. For instance, he credits the vast architectural legacy, from the pyramids to the monumental ceremonial centers, to the Mayas' ancestors, and not other "nations." At the same time, Landa surmises that the Maya of centuries past were healthier, better fed, and enjoyed a more diverse diet compared to the Maya of his time. This has only recent