Customer Reviews

Aztec and Maya Myths (Legendary Past)

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

This book was not what I had expected. To start with, it is only 80 pages, and 30 pages are taken up discussing the research history from which our knowledge of Aztec and Mayan myths derive. The 50 pages of mythology offer only a broad overview of myths (broader even than the excellent World Mythology: An Anthology of Great Myths and Epics by Donna Rosenberg). That said, it does an okay job of tying the myths into the culture and has lots of apposite pictures.

Overall, however, I regret having purchases this book.

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.

From the material on Amazon.com, I thought this book was going to be something at least partially comprehensive. What I recieved was a tiny little pamphlet of a book that washed over the mythologies of two huge civilizations in strokes so broad they told me almost nothing that I couldn't find in a good mythological Encyclopedia. Do a Google search for the Encyclopedia Mythica instead of buying this book, you'll be glad you did. This book is primarily notable for it's pretty pictures.

This is an excellent volume for introductory, background,
and inspired reading to do further research on the Aztec
and Mayan mythologies. Don't let the number of pages
fool you (80) -- there is a wealth of solid information
and well as excellent photographs and drawing reproductions
to inform, entrance, and entertain in this book.
The chapter titles are: Introduction; Major sources and
the History of Research; Aztec Mythology; Maya Mythology;
Mesoamerican Mythology. There is also a 2 page presentation
of Suggestions for Further Reading, which is very fine.
The Introduction, as well as the chapters, are subdivided
into helpfully labeled subsections. The Introduction's
subsections are: Ancient Mesoamerican History; Ancient
Mesoamerican religion (Calendrics; Day versus Night;
Twins; Role Models and Social Conduct). The chapter on
Aztec Mythology has the subsections: The Creation of
Heaven and Earth; The Restoration of the Sky and Earth;
The Origin of People; The Origin of Maize; The Origin
of Pulque ("an alcohoic beverage made from the fermented
sap 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 the
Vanquishing of Xibalba; The Origin of Maize and People;
The -Popol Vuh- Creation Epic in Classic Maya Religion;
Maya Mythology of Yucatan; Yucatec Creation Mythology
and the Flood; Creation Mythology and Calendrics in
Yucatan.
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 out
of the earth, represented as a split turtle shell."
On page 6 there is a very good map of Mexico and the
Mesoamerican region with the Aztec and Maya sites
located. Some of the other provocative pictures are of
A Mesoamerican Model of Time and Space, The Venus god
Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli attacking a watery mountain,
Mosaic sacrificial knife (Aztec), God 9 Wind (Mixtec),
Tezcatlipoca deity impersonator to be sacrificed during
the twenty-day month of Toxcatl, The Destruction of the Sun
of Wind and the Transformation of Humans into Monkeys, the
Aztec Calendar Stone, and many others.
An excerpt or two: "The rain god Tlaloc rules over the
third creation, the sun of rain. This world is destroyed
by Quetzalcoatl in a rain of fire -- probably volcanic ash,
a relatively common geological occurrence in central
Mexico. The fiery rain magically transforms the people of
this race into turkeys [! -- from "Aztec Mythology"]."
"Mesoamerican myths are more than sacred accounts of the
origins of the world; they also contain profound lessons
for proper behaviour. Among the most commonly mentioned
vices to bring disaster and defeat are arrogance and
greed." (--from "Introduction: Role Models and Social
Conduct.")
-- Robert Kilgore.

A competent treatment of the folk lore - religious myths that helped structure these two great cultures. However, Karl Taube has given us little overview information about the social dynamic of each culture. If you have a special research issue regarding the Aztec and/or Maya cultures or if you are traveling to the countries of these ancient Mesoamerica (Southern & Eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and/or El Salvador) this book will be enlightening.