Trial in Jade: The Mayan Return

Trial in Jade: The Mayan Return, Margaret Evans, Moonlight Mystery Press, 2007

Part two of a trilogy, this story is about the coming of a new Mayan empire in the very near future. In December, 2012, according to Mayan prophecy, big things are supposed to happen.

Amy Magee, and her husband, Joe, are well-known archaeologists and Mayan experts living in rural
California. In the nearby woods, a buried Mayan pyramid is being uncovered. It will become the centerpiece
of the new Mayan capital city. As Bringer of the Sixth World, Amy's task is to travel around the world, leaving packets of seeds in certain places at certain times. One day, she might hand a packet to a street musician in Florence, and the next day, she might leave a packet in the mouth of a stuffed tiger in a shop in Thailand. Along the way, Amy comes into possession of many pieces of jade, which she must fashion into a mask.

There are two separate groups vying for the position of King of the Maya. Will Rodriguez, one of the
good guys, has to undergo a trial, including ice, bees, grasshoppers and fire, while wearing the jade mask,
in a certain cave at a certain time. The bad guys kidnap a little boy named Carlos, who has an important
part in everything, and take him to Guatemala. Candis, his mother, enlists the help of Leo Martinelli, Joe's cousin, and a government intelligence agent, to rescue him and get him to the trial on time. Candis and Joe run into each other in a supermarket parking lot, which was not supposed to happen, and Joe has been obsessed with her ever since.

This is intended more as a thriller than as an accurate portrayal of Mayan culture. Even if this book just gives a peak through the keyhole at Mayan culture, it works (also as a thriller), and is worth reading (but read part one first).