The Flayed God: The Mesoamerican Mythological Tradition [Paperback]

Roberta H. Markman (Author), Peter T. Markman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Human sacrifice, symbolic bloodletting, divine kingship and other pre-Columbian Mesoamerican rites and customs can be understood only in the context of the mythological traditions of the Aztec, Maya and Olmec, assert the authors. Their captivating study amplifies key Mesoamerican mythic narratives, hymns and prayers with 100 reproductions (25 in color) of ancient ceramics, stone sculptures, paintings, monuments and masks. Beginning with simple yet profound female figurines, this panoramic survey moves on to the Great Mother Goddess, hero twins, feathered serpents, were-jaguars and the fourfold development of the gods, the cosmos and humans from the unity of the creative principle. The Markmans, who cowrote Masks of the Spirit: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica , take readers inside a strange yet exalted universe whose inhabitants--mythic and human--participated in a cyclic drama of death and regeneration.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This marvelous collection of sacred texts and images from pre-Columbian Central American culture is well presented and carefully introduced, providing a wealth of material on goddess images in village cultures and on the urban tradition with its creation and rulership myths. Authors Roberta Markman (comparative literature, California State, Long Beach) and Peter Markman (English, Fullerton) concentrate on the unfolding of these traditions, on their social and historical backgrounds, and on profundity as revealed in literary and visual texts. Essential for academic and museum libraries, recommended for seminary and public libraries.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harpercollins (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062507494
• ISBN-13: 978-0062507495
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,073,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful, November 8, 2006

By 

M "Loops" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Flayed God: The Mesoamerican Mythological Tradition (Paperback)

I've had this book on my shelf for years and it has been a very valuable reference. (I took several undergrad courses on Mesoamerican myth and archaeology.) It is hands-down one of the best books out there on the myths and rituals of Mesoamerica. The emphasis is largely on the Aztecs, but there is enough information on other cultures to satisfy people studying the Maya or Mixtec.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Among the best works on Anahuac theology, August 20, 2004

By 

mti (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Flayed God: The Mesoamerican Mythological Tradition (Paperback)

The Markman's present us with countless vivid illustartions and explanation of the large body of the theology of Anahuac (Mexico & Central America) and also offer the reader histories and mythologies of creation and many songs, one which stands out being Teteo Innan. Although not perfect (which could only come from a pre-Inavasion of 1519 point of view) it puts light on the concepts of Ometeotl and the manifestations as well as the Maya Hunab-ku. A good reference book on theology to go along with Aztec Though and Culture and other history works such as Mexico : Olmecs to the Aztecs and Mexico's Indigenous Past.