Aztec and Maya Myths (Legendary Past)

Too little information. Felt like an abstract rather than a reference book. For that reason alone, I considered it too pricey. I could have gotten more from a LIFE specialty magazine for under $20. I think it may have been a college supplemental book. I was hoping it had more stories and more details of the Myan and Aztec characters.

I like how the book is easy to read and clearly presents the complicated beliefs of the Aztecs and Mayans with their pantheon of gods and dualistic beliefs.

High quality book, glossy cover.

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.

Thank you

Gave this book as a gift and they loved jt

great for research

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.