Sign-In
Cart
The Aztec Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Stories and Legends
Hardcover
Series: Myths, Book 7
Mythology & FolkloreGeneral Latin American HistoryGeneral World History
Publisher Price: $25.95
ISBN13: 9780500025536
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: Jun 4 2024
Pages: 208
Weight: 1.05
Height: 1.10 Width: 5.40 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
From their remote origins as migrating tribes to their rise as builders of empire, the Aztecs were among the most dynamic and feared peoples of ancient Mexico, with a belief system that was one of the most complex and vital in the ancient world. Historian Camilla Townsend returns to the original tales, told at the fireside by generations of Indigenous Nahuatl speakers. Along the way, she deals with human sacrifice, the raising of great temples, and the troubling legacy of the Spanish conquest.
Few cultures are generally understood to have been so controlled by their religion as the Aztecs, and few religions are envisioned as being as violent and celebratory of death as theirs. In this introduction to the Aztec myths, Townsend draws from sixteenth-century historical annals and songs written down by Nahuatl-speaking peoples, now known as the Aztecs, in their own language to counter this narrative, inherited from the conquering Spaniards. In doing so, she reveals a rich tapestry of mythic tradition that defies modern expectations.
Townsend retells stories ranging from the creation of the world, revealing the Aztec cosmological vision of nature and the divine, to legends of the Aztecs' own past that show how they understood the foundation of their state and the course of their wars. She considers the impact of colonial contact on the myths and demonstrates that Indigenous engagement with the new cultural customs introduced by the Europeans never entirely uprooted old ways of thinking.
Also from
Townsend, Camilla
On the Turtle's Back: Stories the Lenape Told Their Grandchildren
Townsend, Camilla
Michael, Nicky Kay
Paperback
Of the People: Volume II: Since 1865 with Sources
McGerr, Michael
Townsend, Camilla
Dunak, Karen M.
Paperback
Of the People: Volume I: To 1877 with Sources
McGerr, Michael
Townsend, Camilla
Dunak, Karen M.
Paperback
Whimsical Journeys of Lana and the Starry Grove: Discover Enchantment and Adventure Under the Night Sky
Townsend, Camilla
Paperback
On the Turtle's Back: Stories the Lenape Told Their Grandchildren
Michael, Nicky Kay
Townsend, Camilla
Hardcover
Also in
Mythology & Folklore
Witches, Druids, and Sin Eaters: The Common Magic of the Cunning Folk of the Welsh Marches
Hughes, Jon G.
Paperback
Princes, Frogs & Ugly Sisters: The Healing Power of the Grimm Brothers' Tales
Hunter, Allan G.
Paperback
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Estés, Clarissa Pinkola
Paperback
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Estés, Clarissa Pinkola
Paperback
Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition): Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Hamilton, Edith
Hardcover
Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World's Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids
Darkness Prevails
Hardcover
Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories That They Spun
Harrington, Jane
Hardcover
The Odyssey: An Illustrated Guide: A Character-By-Character Guide to the Story of Odysseus
Metzger, Doug
Hardcover
Appalachian Folklore Unveiled: Mysterious Happenings of Folk Spirits and Mystic Shades from the Ancient Foothills
Darkness Prevails
Hardcover
Classical Mythology of the Constellations: Timeless Tales of the Starry Night Sky
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial
Chollet, Mona
Paperback
Tony Stark, Odysseus, and the Myths Behind Marvel: Ancient Heroes in the Modern World
Meineck, Peter
Hardcover
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Estés, Clarissa Pinkola
Hardcover
Seasonal Folktales: Myths, Magic & Folklore of the North, from Scotland to Scandinavia
Graham, Morvern
Hardcover
The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology That Inspired 50 Yoga Postures
Balkaran, Raj
Hardcover
The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters, Witches, and Ghosts
Belanger, Jeff
Hardcover
Classical Mythology A to Z: An Encyclopedia of Gods & Goddesses, Heroes & Heroines, Nymphs, Spirits, Monsters, and Places
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Hardcover
Briggs's Dictionary of Fairies: Banshees, Boggarts and Other Folklore Creatures
Briggs, Katharine
Hardcover
Cat Gods, Goddesses, Deities, and Demons: A Guide to Feline Folklore and Mythology
Bovis, Natalie
Hardcover
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Paperback
Myths, Gods, and Rituals of Aztec Mythology: Before the First Sun (Aztec Gods, Creation Mythology)
Torres, Matthew
Paperback
Fairy Tales & Folklore Coloring Book: A Magical Journey Inspired by Scandinavian Fables
Öberg, Emelie Lidehäll
Hardcover
Chasing North American Monsters: A Guide to Over 250 Creatures from Greenland to Guatemala
Offutt, Jason
Paperback
Norse Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Vikings to Valkyries, an Epic Who's Who in Old Norse Mythology
Fuller-Shafer, Kelsey A.
Hardcover
The Book of Yokai, Expanded Second Edition: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore
Foster, Michael Dylan
Paperback
Serpent, Siren, Maelstrom, and Myth: Sea Stories and Folktales from Around the World
Smyth, Gerry
Paperback
This Haunted Land: Reckoning with Ghosts and the Stories That Shape America
Quammen, Betsy Gaines
Hardcover
Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of
Tedlock, Dennis
Paperback
The Soul Would Have No Rainbow If the Eyes Had No Tears and Other Native American Proverbs
Zona, Guy
Paperback
Beneath the Moon: Fairy Tales, Myths, and Divine Stories from Around the World
Yoshitani, Yoshi
Hardcover
Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Epic: also includes 'Atrahasis', the first Great Flood myth
Stephany, Timothy J.
Paperback
Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches, and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga
Sedgwick, Icy
Hardcover
Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Other Classic Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault
Carter, Angela
Paperback
Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology
Williamson, Jenny
McMenemy, Genn
Hardcover
Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets Through Capital, Power, and Labor
Sparkly Kat, Alice
Paperback
Mujeres Que Corren Con los Lobos: Mitos y Cuentos del Arquetipo de la Mujer Salvaje = Women Who Run with the Wolves
Estés, Clarissa Pinkola
Paperback
Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World
Quinney, Rachel
Paperback
The Cunning Folk's Book of Cottage Witchcraft: Spells, Charms & Traditions of Wild Folk Magic
Forest, Danu
Paperback
The World of Italian Folk Magic: Magical and Herbal Cures from the Wise Women of Italy
Inserra, Rose
Hardcover
Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt
Pinch, Geraldine
Paperback
Spooky Michigan: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore
Schlosser, S. E.
Paperback
Mothman: Sightings and Investigations of the Iconic Flying Cryptid
Wayland, Tobias
Estep, Richard
Paperback
Curious Cats and Fantastical Felines: The Cat in Folklore, Myth, and Legend
Winsham, Willow
Hardcover
Conjuring the Calabash: Empowering Women with Hoodoo Spells & Magick
Bomani, Mawiyah Kai El-Jamah
Paperback
God's Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible
Hamori, Esther J.
Hardcover
Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies
Lake-Thom, Bobby
Paperback
Spooky Washington: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore
Schlosser, S. E.
Paperback
Hawaii's Night Marchers: A History of the Huaka'i Pō
Kapanui, Robert Lopaka
Kapanui, Tanya
Paperback
Yoruba Mythology: Stories of the Orisa from West Africa and the Diaspora
Ogunnaike, Ayodeji
Hardcover
The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice
Edwards, Carolyn
Paperback
Phantom Phenomena: Tales of the World's Most Terrifying and Supernatural Events
Darkness Prevails
Hardcover
Sage Warrior: Wake to Oneness, Practice Pleasure, Choose Courage, Become Victory
Kaur, Valarie
Paperback
Improving Your Storytelling: Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell Stories in Work or Play
Lipman, Doug
Paperback
A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake: Unlocking James Joyce's Masterwork
Campbell, Joseph
Robinson, Henry Morton
Paperback
Hamlet's Mill: An Essay Investigating the Origins of Human Knowledge and Its Transmissions Through Myth
Von Dechend, Hertha
de Santillana, Giorgio
Paperback