
The Myths of Mexico & Peru
by Lewis Spence
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Chapters (424)
- PREFACE
- CONTENTS
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- MAPS
- CHAPTER I: THE CIVILISATION OF MEXICO
- The Civilisations of the New World
- Evidence of Animal and Plant Life
- Origin of American Man
- Traditions of Intercourse with Asia
- Legends of European Intercourse
- The Legend of Madoc
- American Myths of the Discovery
- A Peruvian Prophecy
- The Prophecy of Chilan Balam
- The Type of Mexican Civilisation
- The Mexican Race
- Legends of Mexican Migration
- The Toltec Upheaval
- Artificial Nature of the Migration Myths
- Myths of the Toltecs
- Legends of Toltec Artistry
- The House of Feathers
- Huemac the Wicked
- The Plagues of the Toltecs
- King Acxitl
- A Terrible Visitation
- Fall of the Toltec State
- The Chichimec Exodus
- The Disappearance of the Toltecs
- Did the Toltecs Exist?
- A Persistent Tradition
- A Nameless People
- Toltec Art
- Other Aboriginal Peoples
- The Cliff-dwellers
- The Nahua Race
- The Aculhuaque
- The Tecpanecs
- The Aztecs
- The Aztec Character
- Legends of the Foundation of Mexico
- Mexico at the Conquest
- A Pyramid of Skulls
- Nahua Architecture and Ruins
- Cyclopean Remains
- Teotihuacan
- The Hill of Flowers
- Tollan
- Picture-Writing
- Interpretation of the Hieroglyphs
- Native Manuscripts
- The Interpretative Codices
- The Mexican “Book of the Dead”
- The Calendar System
- The Mexican Year
- Lunar Reckoning
- Groups of Years
- The Dread of the Last Day
- The Birth-Cycle
- Language of the Nahua
- Aztec Science
- Nahua Government
- Domestic Life
- A Mysterious Toltec Book
- A Native Historian
- Nahua Topography
- Distribution of the Nahua Tribes
- Nahua History
- Bloodless Battles
- The Lake Cities
- Tezcuco
- The Tecpanecs
- The Aztecs
- The Aztecs as Allies
- New Powers
- CHAPTER II: MEXICAN MYTHOLOGY
- Nahua Religion
- Cosmology
- The Sources of Mexican Mythology
- The Romance of the Lost “Sahagun”
- Torquemada
- The Worship of One God
- Tezcatlipoca
- Tezcatlipoca, Overthrower of the Toltecs
- Myths of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca
- Tezcatlipoca and the Toltecs
- The Departure of Quetzalcoatl
- Tezcatlipoca as Doomster
- The Teotleco Festival
- The Toxcatl Festival
- Huitzilopochtli, the War-God
- The War-God as Fertiliser
- Tlaloc, the Rain-God
- Sacrifices to Tlaloc
- Quetzalcoatl
- The Man of the Sun
- Various Forms of Quetzalcoatl
- Quetzalcoatl’s Northern Origin
- The Worship of Quetzalcoatl
- The Maize-Gods of Mexico
- The Sacrifice of the Dancer
- An Antiquarian Mare’s-Nest
- The Offering to Centeotl
- Importance of the Food-Gods
- Xipe
- Nanahuatl, or Nanauatzin
- Xolotl
- The Fire-God
- Mictlan
- Worship of the Planet Venus
- Sun-Worship
- Sustaining the Sun
- A Mexican Valhalla
- The Feast of Totec
- Tepeyollotl
- Macuilxochitl, or Xochipilli
- Father and Mother Gods
- The Pulque-Gods
- The Goddesses of Mexico: Metztli
- Tlazolteotl
- Chalchihuitlicue
- Mixcoatl
- Camaxtli
- Iztlilton
- Omacatl
- Opochtli
- Yacatecutli
- The Aztec Priesthood
- Priestly Revenues
- Education
- Orders of the Priesthood
- An Exacting Ritual
- CHAPTER III: MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE ANCIENT MEXICANS
- The Mexican Idea of the Creation
- Ixtlilxochitl’s Legend of the Creation
- Creation-Story of the Mixtecs
- Zapotec Creation-Myth
- The Mexican Noah
- The Myth of the Seven Caverns
- The Sacrificed Princess
- The Fugitive Prince
- Maxtla the Fierce
- A Romantic Escape
- A Thrilling Pursuit
- The Defeat of Maxtla
- The Solon of Anahuac
- Nezahualcoyotl’s Theology
- The Poet Prince
- The Queen with a Hundred Lovers
- The Golden Age of Tezcuco
- A Fairy Villa
- Disillusionment
- The Noble Tlascalan
- The Haunting Mothers
- The Return of Papantzin2
- Papantzin’s Story
- CHAPTER IV: THE MAYA RACE AND MYTHOLOGY
- The Maya
- Were the Maya Toltecs?
- The Maya Kingdom
- The Maya Dialects
- Whence Came the Maya?
- Civilisation of the Maya
- The Zapotecs
- The Huasteca
- The Type of Maya Civilisation
- Maya History
- The Nucleus of Maya Power
- Early Race Movements
- The Settlement of Yucatan
- The Septs of Yucatan
- The Cocomes
- Flight of the Tutul Xius
- The Revolution in Mayapan
- Hunac Eel
- The Last of the Cocomes
- The Maya Peoples of Guatemala
- The Maya Tulan
- Doubtful Dynasties
- The Coming of the Spaniards
- The Riddle of Ancient Maya Writing
- The Maya Manuscripts
- The System of the Writing
- Clever Elucidations
- Methods of Study
- The Maya Numeral System
- Mythology of the Maya
- Quetzalcoatl among the Maya
- An Alphabet of Gods
- Difficulties of Comparison
- The Conflict between Light and Darkness
- The Calendar
- Traditional Knowledge of the Gods
- Maya Polytheism
- The Bat-God
- Modern Research
- God A
- The Maize-God
- The Sun-God
- “The God with the Ornamented Nose”
- The Old Black God
- The Travellers’ God
- The God of Unlucky Days
- The Frog-God
- Maya Architecture
- Methods of Building
- No Knowledge of the Arch
- Pyramidal Structures
- Definiteness of Design
- Architectural Districts
- Fascination of the Subject
- Mysterious Palenque
- An Architectural Curiosity
- The Temple of Inscriptions
- Aké and Itzamal
- The House of Darkness
- The Palace of Owls
- Itzamna’s Fane
- Bearded Gods
- A Colossal Head
- Chichen-Itza
- The Nunnery
- The “Writing in the Dark”
- Kabah
- Uxmal
- The Dwarf’s House
- The Legend of the Dwarf
- The Mound of Sacrifice
- The Phantom City
- The Horse-God
- Copan
- Mitla
- A Place of Sepulture
- An Old Description of Mitla
- Human Sacrifice at Mitla
- Living Sacrifices
- The Cavern of Death
- Palace of the High-Priest
- Furniture of the Temples
- CHAPTER V: MYTHS OF THE MAYA
- Mythology of the Maya
- The Lost “Popol Vuh”
- Genuine Character of the Work
- Likeness to other Pseudo-Histories
- The Creation-Story
- Vukub-Cakix, the Great Macaw
- The Earth-Giants
- The Undoing of Zipacna
- The Discomfiture of Cabrakan
- The Second Book
- A Challenge from Hades
- The Fooling of the Brethren
- The Princess Xquiq
- The Birth of Hun-Apu and Xbalanque
- The Divine Children
- The Magic Tools
- The Second Challenge
- The Tricksters Tricked
- The Houses of the Ordeals
- The Reality of Myth
- The Xibalbans
- The Third Book
- The Granting of Fire
- The Kiche Babel
- The Last Days of the First Men
- Death of the First Men
- American Migrations
- Cosmogony of the “Popol Vuh”
- Antiquity of the “Popol Vuh”
- The Father-Mother Gods
- Gucumatz
- Hurakan
- Hun-Apu and Xbalanque
- Vukub-Cakix and his Sons
- Metrical Origin of the “Popol Vuh”
- Pseudo-History of the Kiche
- Queen Móo
- The Funeral Chamber
- The Frescoes
- The Soothsayers
- The Royal Bride
- Móo’s Refusal
- The Rejected Suitor
- Aac’s Fierce Wooing
- Prince Coh
- The Murder of Coh
- The Widowhood of Móo
- The Manuscript Troano
- CHAPTER VI: THE CIVILISATION OF OLD PERU
- Old Peru
- The Country
- The Andeans
- A Strange Site
- Sacsahuaman and Ollantay
- The Drama-Legend of Ollantay
- The Love-Story of Curi-Coyllur
- Mother and Child
- The Races of Peru
- The Coming of the Incas
- The Quichua-Aymara
- The Four Peoples
- The Coming of Manco Ccapac
- The Peruvian Creation-Story
- Local Creation-Myths
- The Character of Inca Civilisation
- An Absolute Theocracy
- A Golden Temple
- The Great Altar
- Planetary Temples
- The Mummies of Peru
- Laws and Customs
- The Peruvian Calendar
- The Festivals
- The Llama
- Architecture of the Incas
- Unsurpassed Workmanship
- The Temple of Viracocha
- Titicaca
- Coati
- Mysterious Chimu
- The Palace
- The Civilisation of Chimu
- Pachacamac
- Irrigation Works
- A Singular Discovery
- The Chibchas
- A Severe Legal Code
- A Strange Mnemonic System
- Practical Use of the Quipos
- The Incas as Craftsmen
- Pottery
- Historical Sketch of the Incan Peruvians
- The Inca Monarchs
- The First Incas
- Viracocha the Great
- The Plain of Blood
- The Conquest of Middle Peru
- Fusion of Races
- Two Branches of the Incas
- The Laws of Pachacutic
- Tupac-Yupanqui
- Huaina Ccapac
- The Inca Civil War
- A Dramatic Situation
- A Worthless Despotism
- CHAPTER VII: THE MYTHOLOGY OF PERU
- The Religion of Ancient Peru
- Totemism
- Paccariscas
- Worship of Stones
- Huacas
- The Mamas
- The Huamantantac
- Huaris
- Huillcas
- The Oracles of the Andes
- Lake-Worship in Peru
- The Lost Island
- The Thunder-God of Peru
- The Great God Pachacamac
- Peruvian Creation-Stories
- Pachayachachic
- Ideas of Creation
- Pacari Tampu
- Worship of the Sea
- Viracocha
- Sun-Worship in Peru
- The Sun’s Possessions
- Inca Occupation of Titicaca
- Pilgrimages to Titicaca
- Sacrifices to the New Sun
- The Citoc Raymi
- Human Sacrifice in Peru
- Methods of Medicine-Men
- Death by Suffocation
- The Obsequies of a Chief
- Peruvian Myths
- The Vision of Yupanqui
- The Bird Bride
- Thonapa
- A Myth of Manco Ccapac Inca
- Coniraya Viracocha
- The Llama’s Warning
- The Myth of Huathiacuri
- Paricaca
- Conclusion
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Mexico
- Central America
- Peru
- INDEX AND GLOSSARY
- INDEX AND GLOSSARY
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
- Colophon
- Availability
- Encoding
- Revision History
- External References
- Corrections
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