The illustrated encyclopedia of Aztec & Maya : the history, legend, myth and culture of the ancient native peoples of Mexico and Central America

9780754814894
0754814890

256 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 31 cm

Adult

Includes index

The glory that was Mesoamerica
Uncovering the secrets of the past
Fragments of history
Aztec history and mythology
Unlocking the secrets of Maya society
pt. 1. History
Timeline of Mesoamerica
1. 3,000 years of civilization
The birth of the Olmec
The Zapotec and the Maya
Teotihuacán : city of the Gods
The Mixtecs and the Toltecs
The rise of the Aztecs
The coming of the Spaniards
2. Desert, mountain, lake and jungle
Many landscapes
Jungle cities of the Maya
Sacred mountains in the jungle
Water : a scarce resource
City of awe : Teotihuacán
'Water mountain' : Tenochtitlán
On the edge : Copán and Jaina Island
3. Appeasing the Gods --Many types of blood offering
Mesoamerican divinities
One above all others
The blood of many
Communion with the divine
Reaching for the sky
Spirit jaguars : Shamans
Reading the future
Death and the afterlife
4. Warfare and military life
The Flower Wars
Chain of command : the Aztec army
Into battle
Running the Aztec empire
Tribute and trade
Campaigns of Moctezuma I
City-states in constant conflict
War between Mayapán and Chichén Itzá
The Maya collapse
5. Royal power, law and order
Structures of power
The power of appearance
Coronation spectacle
Sun King : the glory of King Pacal
Moctezuma II in his pomp
Wise governance, strict punishment
The Maya law code
Clans and power : Maya social groups
The many levels of Aztec society
6. Past, present and future
Starting from zero : mathematics
Three into one : interlocking calendars
Counting the days
Major Aztec festivals
Divining the future
Reading the stars
Written records
Royal scribes and codices
pt. 2. Myth
7. Creation and the first peoples
The power in the centre : cosmology
The making of the Earth
Order form chaos : Maya creation stories
Both one and two : Aztec creation stories
The anger of the Gods
The Hero Twins and Seven Macaw
The triumph of the Hero Twins
The people of corn
8. Earth and sky
Life under the four suns
Dawn of the fifth sun
The celestial weaving girl
Myths of the night sky
Many faces of the Sun God
Bringers of rain
Deluge : the universal flood
9. Tales of the Gods
A crowded pantheon
Lord of the Smoking Mirror
The originator of war
Dark challenger by night
The Plumed Serpent
Quetzalcóatl and the raft of snakes
The tribal war God
Hummingbird of the left
Divine creatures
10. Waters, fertility and harvest
The sacrifice of blood and water
Ancient lifegivers
Rain sun and water sun
The Flayed Lord
Mother Earth and her flowers
The Gods of maize
The gift of Pulque
How maize was tamed
Sex, pregnancy and birth
11. After death
The paradise of the Flower Goddess
The Bacabs and the cosmic tree
The journey to Mictlán
Beyond the water
The Hero Twins and the underworld
Risen from the underworld
Return to Xibalba
Xibalba tamed
Quetzalcóatl and his twin in Mictlán
12. Myths and history
Toltec wanderings
The golden reign of Topiltzin
The divine prince
How the Toltecs fell
The origin of the Méxica
The cactus and the eagle
The Quiché Maya seek a home
Visions of triumph and downfall
An empire lost, an empire won

369978

Jones, David M. (David Michael), 1950- consultant