This illustrated guide to the key gods and goddesses in the Aztec and Mayan pantheons tells the fantastic stories of their long, drawn-out contests and bitter battles and explains their roles in Aztec and Mayan mythology as well as their relationships to each other.
The Aztec and Mayan peoples worshiped, among others, gods and goddesses of creation and war, of death and the underworld, and of life and fertility. Included in the book are beguiling figures such as the Aztec gods Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror; Tlaloc, the God of Rain and Lightning who was the patron of agriculture; and Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent and one of the most important gods in the Aztec pantheon. Each entry is illustrated with color photographs of Aztec and Mayan artifacts. With its compact format, this book is a fun and friendly companion to volumes on Aztec and Mayan culture for both adults and children.
Ages twelve and up.
Previously curator in the Department of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at the British Museum, Clara Bezanilla specializes in Mesoamerican, Central, and South American collections. She has coedited Unknown Amazon, which accompanied a British Museum exhibition, and lives and works in Spain.48 pages