Wikipedia page about this book: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudades_y_ruinas_americanas._Mitla,_Palenque,_Chichen_Itz%C3%A1_y_Uxmal

photographiées par Désiré Charnay

Release date is 2008-04-18

Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by the
Bibliothèque nationale de France [BnF/Gallica] at
http://gallica.bnf.fr and by The New York Public Library
Digital Gallery at
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/)

"Cités et ruines américaines: Mitla, Palenqué, Izamal, Chichen-Itza, Uxmal" by Désiré Charnay is a photographic and historical account written in the mid-19th century. The work is dedicated to the study and documentation of ancient American civilizations, focusing particularly on significant ruins and architectural marvels across Mexico. Accompanied by text from the renowned architect Viollet-le-Duc, it seeks to bridge the gap in understanding regarding the origins and cultural significance of these sites. The opening of the work begins with a preface in which Charnay outlines the motivation behind his explorations of these ancient ruins. Initially intending to create an exhaustive study, he expresses his disbelief at the incomplete nature of previous accounts and highlights the need for accurate and detailed documentation. Through photography, he aims to provide undeniable evidence of the grandeur and intricacies of these civilizations, while engaging with philosophical questions about their origins and cultural interconnections. Charnay also reflects on the influence of various ancient cultures, hinting at a complex heritage that includes elements reminiscent of Egyptian, Assyrian, and Indian architecture, setting the stage for a thorough exploration of the ruins that follows. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Original publication data not identified