Aztec and Maya Myths

by Karl A. Taube

Book Overview

The myths of the Aztec and Maya derive from a shared Mesoamerican cultural tradition. This is very much a living tradition, and many of the motifs and gods mentioned in early sources are still evoked... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 029278130X
• ISBN13: 9780292781306
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.8" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Are we not men? Are we not maize?

This is an excellent volume for introductory, background,and inspired reading to do further research on the Aztecand Mayan mythologies. Don't let the number of pagesfool you (80) -- there is a wealth of solid informationand well as excellent photographs and drawing reproductionsto inform, entrance, and entertain in this book. The chapter titles are: Introduction; Major sources andthe History of Research; Aztec Mythology; Maya Mythology;Mesoamerican Mythology. There is also a 2 page presentationof Suggestions for Further Reading, which is very fine.The Introduction, as well as the chapters, are subdividedinto helpfully labeled subsections. The Introduction'ssubsections are: Ancient Mesoamerican History; AncientMesoamerican religion (Calendrics; Day versus Night;Twins; Role Models and Social Conduct). The chapter onAztec Mythology has the subsections: The Creation ofHeaven and Earth; The Restoration of the Sky and Earth;The Origin of People; The Origin of Maize; The Originof Pulque ("an alcohoic beverage made from the fermentedsap of the maguey plant"); The Creation of the Fifth Sun;Mythology of the Aztec State; The Birth of Huitzilopochtli.The chapter on Maya Mythology has the subsections: The-Popol Vuh-: Primordial Origins; The Hero Twins and theVanquishing of Xibalba; The Origin of Maize and People;The -Popol Vuh- Creation Epic in Classic Maya Religion;Maya Mythology of Yucatan; Yucatec Creation Mythologyand the Flood; Creation Mythology and Calendrics inYucatan.The pictures and reproduction of drawings are incredible.The cover picture for the book is of "The Maize God, flanked by his sons Hunahpu and Xbalanque, emerging outof the earth, represented as a split turtle shell."On page 6 there is a very good map of Mexico and theMesoamerican region with the Aztec and Maya siteslocated. Some of the other provocative pictures are ofA Mesoamerican Model of Time and Space, The Venus godTlahuizcalpantecuhtli attacking a watery mountain, Mosaic sacrificial knife (Aztec), God 9 Wind (Mixtec),Tezcatlipoca deity impersonator to be sacrificed duringthe twenty-day month of Toxcatl, The Destruction of the Sunof Wind and the Transformation of Humans into Monkeys, theAztec Calendar Stone, and many others.An excerpt or two: "The rain god Tlaloc rules over thethird creation, the sun of rain. This world is destroyedby Quetzalcoatl in a rain of fire -- probably volcanic ash,a relatively common geological occurrence in centralMexico. The fiery rain magically transforms the people ofthis race into turkeys [! -- from "Aztec Mythology"].""Mesoamerican myths are more than sacred accounts of theorigins of the world; they also contain profound lessonsfor proper behaviour. Among the most commonly mentionedvices to bring disaster and defeat are arrogance andgreed." (--from "Introduction: Role Models and SocialConduct.") -- Robert Kilgore.

A good introduction

As always, Karl Taube provides good value with a book about Mesoamerican mythology written specifically for the beginner. He starts by illustrating the various sources from which these stories have come down to us, and then recites Maya and Aztec beliefs (mainly concerning Creation) in a fluent and enjoyable way. He doesn't go into the details as much as one could wish, and makes little mention of secondary myths which aren't yet completely understood, but - especially as far as the Aztec part is concerned - he does a fine job of hooking the reader onto the spiritual worlds of cultures that have rarely found their equal in both comlexity and richness of meaning. Buy and get excited.

Aztec and Maya Myths

Dr. Karl Taube's book "Aztec and Maya Myths" is an excellent introductory book for the study of ancient Mesoamerican mythology and cosmogony. This book is geared more towards a neophyte audience. Taube's book is not intended as a complete treatment of an immense topic, but rather provides the reader with a basic understanding of native Mexican mythology, and the tools to search further into the topic if one is so inclined. I would greatly recommend this book.