Mexican and Central American Mythology (Library of the World's Myths & Legends)

Rating:
Summary: An informative primer, if a bit dated and naiive
Review: One has to give credit to Ms. Nicholson for taking on the daunting task of giving an introduction to not simply Mayan and Aztec religion, but to Central-American mythology as a whole. Nicholson draws upon a variety of sources to present a guide to the ancient cultures, the rituals and tenets of the various religious systems, and a fair sampling of the art, handcrafts and architecture that make the ancient cultures of Central America so fascinating. Even so, Nicholson seems to have a tendency to force her own ideologies on these belief-systems, characterizing the god Quetzalcoatl as a Christ figure, for example, or by comparing his warrior cult of the jaguars to the Knights Templar. At other places, Nicholson comes across as naiive, especially when her conclusions are compared with the results of contemporary archeological findings. Her premise that the Mayans were fundamentally peaceful and opposed to the idea of human sacrifice is discredited by strong evidence to the contrary. And her conclusion, for example, that the recumbent Chac-mul statue at the temple of the warriors at Chichen-Itza bears a hollow area in order to collect rainwater is laughable in light of recent findings which conclusively prove that its true purpose was to catch the hearts of victims of human sacrifice during blood/fertility rituals. More reliable data on the Mayans can be found in Michael D. Coe's "The Maya."