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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 398
EAN num: 9780801871016
ISBN number: 0801871018
Label: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 312
Printing Date: October 29, 2002
Publishing house: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Sale Popularity Level: 1000875
Studio: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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Product Description:
Warrior, rain-god, and spirit of the maize, Quetzalcoatl -- the most familiar of the Mesoamerican gods -- is better known for his attributes than for his complex history. Known to the Zapotecs, Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayans, Aztecs, and others, and at times the shared hero of warring peoples, Quetzalcoatl transcends both cultural and chronological barriers. His very name links the earth (coatl, or serpent) with the sky (quetzalli, or precious purple feathers).
In this comprehensive study, Enrique Florescano traces the spread of the worship of the Plumed Serpent, and the multiplicity of interpretations that surround the god, by comparing the Palenque inscriptions (ca. A.D. 690), the Vienna Codex (pre-Hispanic conquest), the Historia de los Mexicanos (1531), the Popul Vuh (ca. 1554), and numerous other texts. He also consults and reproduces archeological evidence from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, demonstrating how the myth of Quetzalcoatl extends throughout Mesoamerica.
Chapter topics include the diverse manifestations of Quetzalcoatl, the god as civilizing hero, interpretations of his role in creation stories and other myths, and a comparative study of Quetzalcoatl as one of the offspring of the Mother Goddess similar to divinities such as Dumuzi, Tammuz, Osiris, Adonis, and Persephone, from other classical cultures.
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Rated by buyers 
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I found just fascinating the tracing of the roots of a classical myth into so many different cultures and traditions along the Mesoamerican cultures: from Teotihuacan and Tula to the historic Aztec period and from one part of Central America to another, to explain how a story becomes a myth. There is of course a similarity on the information because the sources have so many coincidental origins. Quetzalcoatl. It is such a familiar name, the Feathered Serpent of Ancient Mexico. But who is this man, myth, god who was supposed to return from the East to reclaim his power, and was mistook for Cortés. A deep study of the origins of a myth that surrounded a God of such importance and power that nearly no aspect of everyday life seemed to go untouched by him. An historical figure, and a legend, that would signal the end of mortal kingship. A great essay that traces every possible source through comparative literature to find that Quetzalcoatl is related to many names and incarnations, throughout the Mesoamerican pantheons.
Rated by buyers 
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I found the text occasionally tedious and a little repetative. The progress of the tradition of Quetzalcoatl from its ancient roots at Teotihuacan and Tula to the historic Aztec period and from one part of Central America to another was very interesting, but the information was often presented in a repetative way. It was almost as though the work had started originally as a series of journal articles or research papers presented at conferences on Mesoamerican mythology all woven together to produce a book length product. The chapter on comparative literature and the evolution of creation myths in different cultures world wide was certainly interesting, but not necessarily original or even germaine to the title subject.
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