Zacharias Sitchin, in the fourth book of the series THE EARTH CHRONICLES, continues to explore the Anunnaki, the 'gods' who came from the heavens, the extraterrestrial colonizers of Earth who arrived thousands of years ago and created the first civilizations.

This time, he investigates the New World, the lost kingdoms of the Maya, Toltecs, Aztecs, Olmecs, and Incas. Civilizations that flourished in pre-Columbian America and left behind unparalleled monuments before being covered by the oblivion of time and the dense foliage of the jungle.

Cultures that astonished the Spanish Conquistadors, who in the 16th century rediscovered the forgotten continent. Lost in the haze of myth, the civilizations of the New World disturbed the dreams and stimulated the imagination of the inhabitants of the Old World with their hints of mountains of gold and other precious metals.

And somewhere else among the tales of avarice, plunder, and relentless destruction caused by the newly uncovered riches, the mysteries and enigmas of the Maya, Aztecs, Incas, and their predecessors puzzled the conquerors and continue to perplex even today.

How, when, and why did such civilizations appear on the American continent? Is it merely a coincidence that as more becomes known about them, they seem to have originated from the same 'mold' as the civilizations of the ancient Near East? Zacharias Sitchin believes he knows the answer. And in this book, he presents the evidence!