The myths and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest.

Yet, until now, no single-volume introduction has existed to act as a guide to this labyrinthine symbolic world.

The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya is the first-ever English-language dictionary of Mesoamerican mythology and religion.

Nearly 300 entries, from accession to yoke, describe the main gods and symbols of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs.

Topics range from jaguar and jester gods to reptile eye and rubber, from creation accounts and sacred places to ritual practices such as bloodletting, confession, dance, and pilgrimage.

In addition, two introductory essays provide succinct accounts of Mesoamerican history and religion, while a substantial bibliographical survey directs the reader to original sources and recent discussions.

Dictionary entries are illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned line drawings.

For more information about the title An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya, read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:

The Art of Mesoamerica: From Olmec to Aztec (World of Art) — This essential guide to the art and architecture of ancient Mesoamerica succinctly and evocatively summarizes the artistic achievements of the high ...  > read more

The Ancient Maya, 6th Edition — This book traces the evolution of Maya civilization through the Pre-Columbian era, a span of some 2,500 years from the origins of complex society ...  > read more

A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya — The recent interpretation of Maya hieroglyphs has given us the first written history of the New World as it existed before the European invasion. In ...  > read more

Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs (Fifth Edition) — Michael D. Coe's Mexico has long been recognized as the most readable and authoritative introduction to the region's ancient civilizations. This ...  > read more

Recommend this page on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

Authors: Mary Miller, Karl Taube

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Date: Apr. 16, 1997

List Price:

$19.95

Discount Price:

$11.23

Related Stories

Centuries-Old Maya Blue Mystery Finally Solved (February 28, 2008) — Anthropologists have discovered how the ancient Maya produced an unusual, widely studied blue pigment that was used in offerings, pottery, murals and other contexts across Mesoamerica from A.D. 300 ...  > read more

Origins Of Maya Blue In Mexico (April 23, 2009) — The ancient Maya civilization used a rare type of clay called “palygorskite” to produce Maya blue. Combining structural, morphological and geochemical methods, researchers have defined ...  > read more

Huge Ancient Language Dictionary Finished After 90 Years (June 9, 2011) — An ambitious project to identify, explain and provide citations for the words written in cuneiform on clay tablets and carved in stone by Babylonians, Assyrians and others in Mesopotamia between 2500 ...  > read more

Ceremonial Burial At Moon Pyramid Shows Teotihuacan Rulers Had Mayan Connection (October 29, 2002) — Though Teotihuacan at its height was roughly contemporary with the early stages of the Mayan cities located far to the south in the jungles of southern Mexico and Guatemala, archaeologists have long ...  > read more

New Analysis Of Pottery Stirs Olmec Trade Controversy (August 10, 2005) — Clearing - or perhaps roiling - the murky and often contentious waters of Mesoamerican archeology, a study of 3,000-year-old pottery provides new evidence that the Olmec may not have been the mother ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Do The Math Dance