Download Aztec and Maya Myths Legendary Past Karl Taube 9780292781306 Books

Product details Series Legendary Past Paperback 80 pages Publisher University of Texas Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1993) Language English ISBN-10 029278130X

Aztec and Maya Myths Legendary Past Karl Taube 9780292781306 Books Reviews

• 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.
• Gave this book as a gift and they loved jt
• great for research
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• From the material on , 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.