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The Mayan people were natural storytellers, and their imagination knew no bounds. They took the traditional Mesoamerican versions of creation and the gods of the universe and molded them into their own, adding and shaping their unique version of mythology and folktales. This left us with a significant pantheon of gods and goddesses, each with a memorable and captivating story. The Mayans had an image of the universe and their place in it, and they told stories of gods and heroes that rival Greek Mythology.
This nuanced account explores Maya mythology through the lens of art, text, and culture. It offers an important reexamination of the mid-16th-century Popol Vuh, long considered an authoritative text, which is better understood as one among many crucial sources for the interpretation of ancient Maya art and myth. Using materials gathered across Mesoamerica, Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos bridges the gap between written texts and artistic representations, identifying key mythical subjects and uncovering their variations in narratives and visual depictions. Central characters—including a secluded young goddess, a malevolent grandmother, a dead father, and the young gods who became the sun and the moon—are identified in pottery, sculpture, mural painting, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. Highlighting such previously overlooked topics as sexuality and generational struggles, this beautifully illustrated book paves the way for a new understanding of Maya myths and their lavish expression in ancient art.
One of the most extraordinary works of the human imagination and the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, Popul Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life was first made accessible to the public 10 years ago. This new edition retains the quality of the original translation, has been enriched, and includes 20 new illustrations, maps, drawings, and photos.
When Cortes and his battle-weary Spanish soldiers first gazed on the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan in 1519, they viewed the amazing culmination of 3,000 years of continuous cultural development. Aztec and Maya cities, temples, and palaces were in some ways like those found in Mesopotamia and Egypt: civilizations that had developed in isolation, free of outside influences. Here are the legends and stories of these two unique, ancient cultures.
“A prodigious work of unmatched interdisciplinary scholarship” on Maya astronomy and religion (Journal of Interdisciplinary History). Observations of the sun, moon, planets, and stars played a central role in ancient Maya lifeways, as they do today among contemporary Maya who maintain the traditional ways. This pathfinding book reconstructs ancient Maya astronomy and cosmology through the astronomical information encoded in Pre-Columbian Maya art and confirmed by the current practices of living Maya peoples. Susan Milbrath opens the book with a discussion of modern Maya beliefs about astronomy, along with essential information on naked-eye observation. She devotes subsequent chapters to Pre-Columbian astronomical imagery, which she traces back through time, starting from the Colonial and Postclassic eras. She delves into many aspects of the Maya astronomical images, including the major astronomical gods and their associated glyphs, astronomical almanacs in the Maya codices and changes in the imagery of the heavens over time. This investigation yields new data and a new synthesis of information about the specific astronomical events and cycles recorded in Maya art and architecture. Indeed, it constitutes the first major study of the relationship between art and astronomy in ancient Maya culture. “Milbrath has given us a comprehensive reference work that facilitates access to a very broad and varied body of literature spanning several disciplines.” ―Isis “Destined to become a standard reference work on Maya archeoastronomy . . . Utterly comprehensive.” —Andrea Stone, Professor of Art History, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
If you're looking for a captivating collection of Inca Myths, then keep reading... This book includes four captivating manuscripts: Maya Mythology: Captivating Maya Myths of Gods, Goddesses and Legendary Creatures Aztec Mythology: Captivating Aztec Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures Inca Mythology: Captivating Inca Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures Central American Mythology: Captivating Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures of Ancient Mexico and Central America In the first part of this book, you'll find the following Maya myths and topics covered Two Creation Myths The Downfall of Seven Macaw The Boyhood Deeds of Hunahpu and Xbalanque Ballgames in Xibalba The Deaths and Resurrections of Hunahpu and Xbalanque The Man Who Became a Buzzard How the Sun and Moon Became Man and Wife Rabbit Gets His Drink And many more! In the second part of this book, you'll find the following Aztec myths and topics covered The Legend of the Suns The Deeds of Mixcoatl The Origin of Maize and the Creation of Pulque The Fall of Xochiquetzal The Fate of Souls Huitzilopochtli and the Founding of Tenochtitlan Huemac Plays the Ball Game And many more! In the third part of this book, you'll find the following Inca myths and topics covered Stories of the Gods Inca Political Myths Five Andean Folktales and an Inca Play And much, much more! In the fourth part of this book, you'll find the following Central American myths and topics covered Olocupinele Creates the World (Dule/Cuna, Panama) Watakame' and the Great Flood (Wixáritari/Huichol, Mexico) Yomomuli and the Talking Tree (Yoeme/Yaqui, Mexico) How the Sea Was Made (Cabécar, Costa Rica) Mother Scorpion's Country (Miskito, Nicaragua) The Childhood of the Sun and the Moon (qne-a tnya-e/Chatino, Mexico) The Invisible Hunters (Miskito, Nicaragua) The King of the Peccaries (Bribri, Costa Rica) How Opossum Stole Fire (Mazatec, Mexico) Uncle Rabbit and Uncle Tiger (Nicaragua) And much, much more! So if you want to learn more about these four mythologies, click "buy now"!
This collection of folklore offers a rich and lively panorama of Mayan mythic heritage. Here are everyday tales of village life; legends of witches, shamans, spiritualists, tricksters, and devils; fables of naguales, or persons who can change into animal forms; ribald stories of love and life; cautionary tales of strange and menacing neighbors and of the danger lurking within the human heart. These legends narrate origin and creation stories, explain the natural world, and reinforce cultural beliefs and values such as honesty, industriousness, sharing, fairness, and cleverness. Whether tragic or comic, fantastic or earthy, whimsical or profound, these tales capture the mystery, fragility, and power of the Mayan world.
"Fascinated by the history and cultures of three highly developed ancient societies--the Mayans, followed by the Aztecs in Mesoamerica and the Incas farther south--Ferguson examines their artifacts and those of the Spanish conquistadors, in relation to the traditions preserved today by their many descendants...Part anthropological study, part history and part folklore... distills a huge amount of information to present a clear, uncluttered and rich resource."--"Publishers Weekly." "Fun, inspiring, educational, and all in all, a great read."--"The New Times."
From the fantastic exploits of the Hero Twins, to the stories of how the world came to be, to folktales about people, animals, and supernatural beings, Maya myth presents us with a fascinating variety of characters, plots, and imagery.