Masks of the Spirit: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994

This illustrated study guides the reader through the long history of Mesoamerican mask-making. It explores many themes associated with one of the least understood yet fascinating religious and mythological traditions.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Roberta Markman (comparative literature, California State Univ.) and Peter Markman (English, Fullerton Coll.) perceive the Mesoamerican mask as a metaphor and agent of transformation, mirroring in its relationship with its wearer the unity of the "underlying life force and the natural world it forms and sustains." Examples of the mask's symbolism, illustrated with black-and-white and color plates, are drawn from pre-Columbian images of the rain god, modern folkways, and contemporary art. While the Markmans' approach is nearer art than science, it draws on and reconciles scholarship in many disciplines, including anthropology and sociology as well as mythology. The extensive bibliography includes works by Alan Watts, Claude Levi-Strauss, and Joseph Campbell, as well as Mesoamericanists. Recommended for humanities collections in academic and large public libraries.
- Christine Whittington, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520086546
• ISBN-13: 978-0520086548
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,834,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding the Life-Force in Ancient & Contemporary Mexico, August 29, 2011

By 

Jenny (Patzcuaro, Michoacan Mexico) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Masks of the Spirit: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica (Paperback)

Residents of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México, for the past three years, my husband and I are culturally curious. Our intent has been to deepen our understanding of the rich layers of Mexican culture. Our efforts to understand Mexican culture in its rural settings have steadily drawn us to its Mesoamerican roots.

I first read Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces decades ago and continued to follow his work through the years, including the Masks of God PBS series with Bill Moyers. So I was intrigued when I came upon Roberta and Peter Markman's, Masks of the Spirit: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica, but I was hooked when I discovered that the work is dedicated to Mr. Campbell, who wrote the Introduction shortly before his death in 1987.

Where to begin to describe this beautifully written account of myth in Mesoamerica? At 9" x 12", the volume is larger than I expected. Even the paper selected for the paperback edition meets requirements for permanence. Obviously, it was selected to present and preserve the beautiful art plates that illustrate the text. As an art book, the volume--with its award-winning design--would grace any coffee table.

But the work is much, much more than its beautiful appearance. As Campbell attests, the scholarship is impeccable, yet the text is eminently readable to scholar and layperson alike. The Markmans tell a story of spirit that is nothing less than a tale of the Life-Force itself. Graciously, they invite us to accompany them as they discover layers of meaning in the masks of Mesoamerica.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Design, March 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Masks of the Spirit: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica (Paperback)

The book is wonderful, but Amazon, you've got your information wrong. Joseph Campbell didn't design this. He wrote the Introduction. Why do I know this? I designed the book and won an award for it.