The Myth of Quetzalcoatl: Religion, Rulership, and History in the Nahua World

by Alfredo López Austin, Guilhem Olivier (Contributor), Russ Davidson (Translation)

The Myth of Quetzalcoatl is a translation of Alfredo López Austin’s 1973 book Religión y politica en el mundo náhuatl . Despite its pervasive and lasting influence on the study of Mesoamerican history, religion in general, and the Quetzalcoatl myth in particular, this work has not been available in English until now. The importance of Hombre-Dios and its status as a classic arise from its interdisciplinary approach, creative use of a wide range of source material, and unsurpassed treatment of its subject—the nature and content of religious beliefs and rituals among the native populations of Mesoamerica and the manner in which they fused with and helped sanctify political authority and rulership in both the pre- and post-conquest periods. Working from a wide variety of previously neglected documentary sources, incorporating myth, archaeology, and the ethnography of contemporary Native Americans including non-Nahua peoples, López Austin traces the figure of Quetzalcoatl as a “Man-God” from pre-conquest times, while Russ Davidson’s translator’s note, Davíd Carrasco's foreword, and López Austin’s introduction place the work within the context of modern scholarship. López Austin’s original work on Quetzalcoatl is a pivotal work in the field of anthropology, and this long-overdue English translation will be of significance to historians, anthropologists, linguists, and serious readers interested in Mesoamerica.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

249 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2015

Reviews

[Rafael Yaocoyotl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me pareció una muy buena investigación, con una hipótesis interesante: ante la diversidad de visiones y mitos en torno a Quetzalcoatl, se puede elucidar un complejo cultural mesoamericano en donde un ser humano adquiere ciertos elementos que lo acercan a las divinidades: desde sujeto de posesión y vínculo con los dioses, pasando por el protector del fuego sagrado, hasta personificación de los númenes. La edición que leí es de 1989, por lo que no se emplean otros trabajos recientes para sustentar tal postura, quizá, lo más visible, en este sentido, es que la historia o mito clásico de Quetzalcoatl -blanco, barbado, que no quería sacrificios humanos, que era penitente- es una construcción europea para equipararlo a un santo cristiano, y justificar la evangelización de los indígenas.

[Ike Rakiecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays that explore Quetzalcoatl, a god/mythological framework that made up an important piece of the Aztec culture. Each essay covered it's topic in a complete and readable manner. I was impressed by the high number of references which were included in each section. My favorite essay compared Quetzalcoatl to other cultural followings in the Americas like Kokopelli.