The Mythology of Mexico and Central America

by Bierhorst, John

• ISBN13: 9780195146202
• ISBN10: 0195146204
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-08-22
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In this expansive volume, John Bierhorst brings to light the gods and heroes of pre-Columbian times--and demonstrates that they are very much alive today. The book provides translations of twenty "basic myths," showing how these have influenced the artistic, literary, and political life of modern Mexico and Central America. Originally published in 1990, the text has been updated to reflect recent advances in Mesoamerican studies. In addition, a new Afterword describes how these native mythologies--since the late 1980s--have begun incorporating issues of international significance, including cultural pluralism, religious freedom, and environmentalism.LL Detailed maps show tribal locations and the distribution of key stories. Indian artworks illustrate the texts and samples of differing narrative styles add enrichment, as some of the world's purest and most powerful myths are made more accessible--and more meaningful--than ever before.

Author Biography

John Bierhorst is the author, editor, or translator of more than thirty books on Native American lore--eight of which have been named Notable Books by the American Library Association.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. v
A Note on Pronunciation	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
The Storytellers
Central Mexico	p. 19
Oaxaca	p. 29
Southern Mesoamerica	p. 36
Northwest Mexico	p. 47
Lower Central America	p. 54
The Basic Myths
Beginnings
The emergence of ancestors (Aztec)	p. 67
The man of crops (Jicaque)	p. 68
Why the earth eats the dead (Bribri)	p. 74
Opossum steals fire (Mazatec)	p. 77
Destructions and New Beginnings
The loss of the ancients (Tarahumara)	p. 79
The flood myth (Mixe)	p. 80
The seeds of humanity (Guaymi)	p. 84
The tree and the flood (Cabecar)	p. 84
The Quest for Corn
The hidden corn (Mopan)	p. 86
Corn woman's marriage (Cora)	p. 90
The grasshoppers and the corn (Pipil)	p. 98
Sun Myths
The sun and the fire (Huichol)	p. 100
How the sun was named (Yaqui)	p. 101
The childhood of sun and moon (Chatino)	p. 102
Sun and his brothers (Tzotzil)	p. 110
The courtship of sun and moon (Kekchi)	p. 112
Journeys to the Other World
Thunder's apprentice (Mam)	p. 116
The dead wife (Miskito)	p. 117
The buzzard husband (Tzutujil)	p. 120
The visit to the animal master (Chinantec)	p. 123
Building mythologies
Myths in Sequence	p. 129
Gods and the Ordering of Space	p. 143
Adventures of the Hero	p. 158
Writing History	p. 174
Myths and Nationalism	p. 188
Afterword	p. 208
Glossary of Special Terms	p. 215
Notes on Sources	p. 217
References	p. 230
Index	p. 244
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