There is something remarkably alluring about the ancient Maya art. Perhaps it's the originality and depth of the art enveloped in esoteric elements that effortlessly captivates and keeps one's attention.However Ancient Maya: The Rise and Fall of a Rainforest civilization by Arthur Demarest is a case study that covers much more than the Maya art. Its primary focus is chronologically presenting the cultural evolution of the Maya based on archeological and historical data, while interpreting the Maya society through their art, iconography, hieroglyphic inscriptions, architecture, and their sophisticated calendar system. Unlike the numerous civilizations that emerged in the ancient world, the Maya stand out as they appeared, developed, and remained in the rain forest, thus, can be considered a rainforest civilization. As for the narrative, it was dry and the book lacked a clear central argument or narrative thread to make the book more readable. A very mechanical composition and erudite work so beware.Nevertheless, it was great learning about this Mesoamerican culture and its cyclical concept of time, their cosmogram with 13 levels of the heavens and 9 of the underworld, and their version of the Creation's beginnings which started on August 13th, 3114 BCE (by the Gregorian calendar), their ideology, worldview, and untimely the reason(s) for the ancient Maya downfall that still remains debatable.