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The Myths of Mexico & Peru: Aztecs and Incas Folklore & Legends
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1913
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About the author
Lewis Spence
400 books52 followersJames Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence was a Scottish journalist, poet, author, folklorist and student of the occult.
After graduating from Edinburgh University he pursued a career in journalism. He was an editor at The Scotsman 1899-1906, editor of The Edinburgh Magazine for a year, 1904–05, then an editor at The British Weekly, 1906-09. In this time his interest was sparked in the myth and folklore of Mexico and Central America, resulting in his popularisation of the Mayan Popul Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiché Mayas (1908). He compiled A Dictionary of Mythology (1910 and numerous additional volumes).
Spence was an ardent Scottish nationalist, He was the founder of the Scottish National Movement which later merged to form the National Party of Scotland and which in turn merged to form the Scottish National Party. He unsuccessfully contested a parliamentary seat for Midlothian and Peebles Northern at a by-election in 1929.
He also wrote poetry in English and Scots. His Collected Poems were published in 1953. He investigated Scottish folklore and wrote about Brythonic rites and traditions in Mysteries of Celtic Britain (1905). In this book, Spence theorized that the original Britons were descendants of a people that migrated from Northwest Africa and were probably related to the Berbers and the Basques.
Spence's researches into the mythology and culture of the New World, together with his examination of the cultures of western Europe and north-west Africa, led him almost inevitably to the question of Atlantis. During the 1920s he published a series of books which sought to rescue the topic from the occultists who had more or less brought it into disrepute. These works, amongst which were The Problem of Atlantis (1924) and History of Atlantis (1927), continued the line of research inaugurated by Ignatius Donnelly and looked at the lost island as a Bronze Age civilization, that formed a cultural link with the New World, which he invoked through examples he found of striking parallels between the early civilizations of the Old and New Worlds.
Spence's erudition and the width of his reading, his industry and imagination were all impressive; yet the conclusions he reached, avoiding peer-reviewed journals, have been almost universally rejected by mainstream scholarship. His popularisations met stiff criticism in professional journals, but his continued appeal among theory hobbyists is summed up by a reviewer of The Problem of Atlantis (1924) in The Geographical Journal: "Mr. Spence is an industrious writer, and, even if he fails to convince, has done service in marshalling the evidence and has produced an entertaining volume which is well worth reading." Nevertheless, he seems to have had some influence upon the ideas of controversial author Immanuel Velikovsky, and as his books have come into the public domain, they have been successfully reprinted and some have been scanned for the Internet.
Spence's 1940 book Occult Causes of the Present War seems to have been the first book in the field of Nazi occultism.
Over his long career, he published more than forty books, many of which remain in print to this day.
After graduating from Edinburgh University he pursued a career in journalism. He was an editor at The Scotsman 1899-1906, editor of The Edinburgh Magazine for a year, 1904–05, then an editor at The British Weekly, 1906-09. In this time his interest was sparked in the myth and folklore of Mexico and Central America, resulting in his popularisation of the Mayan Popul Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiché Mayas (1908). He compiled A Dictionary of Mythology (1910 and numerous additional volumes).
Spence was an ardent Scottish nationalist, He was the founder of the Scottish National Movement which later merged to form the National Party of Scotland and which in turn merged to form the Scottish National Party. He unsuccessfully contested a parliamentary seat for Midlothian and Peebles Northern at a by-election in 1929.
He also wrote poetry in English and Scots. His Collected Poems were published in 1953. He investigated Scottish folklore and wrote about Brythonic rites and traditions in Mysteries of Celtic Britain (1905). In this book, Spence theorized that the original Britons were descendants of a people that migrated from Northwest Africa and were probably related to the Berbers and the Basques.
Spence's researches into the mythology and culture of the New World, together with his examination of the cultures of western Europe and north-west Africa, led him almost inevitably to the question of Atlantis. During the 1920s he published a series of books which sought to rescue the topic from the occultists who had more or less brought it into disrepute. These works, amongst which were The Problem of Atlantis (1924) and History of Atlantis (1927), continued the line of research inaugurated by Ignatius Donnelly and looked at the lost island as a Bronze Age civilization, that formed a cultural link with the New World, which he invoked through examples he found of striking parallels between the early civilizations of the Old and New Worlds.
Spence's erudition and the width of his reading, his industry and imagination were all impressive; yet the conclusions he reached, avoiding peer-reviewed journals, have been almost universally rejected by mainstream scholarship. His popularisations met stiff criticism in professional journals, but his continued appeal among theory hobbyists is summed up by a reviewer of The Problem of Atlantis (1924) in The Geographical Journal: "Mr. Spence is an industrious writer, and, even if he fails to convince, has done service in marshalling the evidence and has produced an entertaining volume which is well worth reading." Nevertheless, he seems to have had some influence upon the ideas of controversial author Immanuel Velikovsky, and as his books have come into the public domain, they have been successfully reprinted and some have been scanned for the Internet.
Spence's 1940 book Occult Causes of the Present War seems to have been the first book in the field of Nazi occultism.
Over his long career, he published more than forty books, many of which remain in print to this day.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 3, 2017
Last year I stumbled across quite a few Lewis Spence books at Gutenberg and in a flurry of enthusiasm added most of them to my GR reading list. This is the first to be read. It is a compacted explanation of the religious beliefs of ancient Mexico and Peru before the Conquests, and was intended as a short introduction to the topic.
The book was interesting to a point, most likely outdated in many ways (it was written in 1907, and I'm sure there has been much more research and many more discoveries since that time) but still overall nearly satisfying. I also now have to feed my new curiosity about Peru: llamas, the Andes, a lake whose name made the classroom giggle. That is pretty much all I remember learning about the country way back when. So I've hunted up titles by other authors about the country to add to my lists.
I am not sure exactly what displeased me about this book enough to rate it only 2 stars, but I was annoyed by the time I reached the final pages. We will most likely never know for certain how the various ancient belief systems came about: by the 1920's Spence himself was pushing his theory about Atlantis, pointing out the many similarities between widely separated indigenous peoples of the New World and the 'lost' civilizations of the Old. Maybe what bothered me about this book was that it felt a bit like a rehearsal of sorts for those future ideas. It was too easy to see the dots being connected.
Or maybe it was the idea about these beautiful dark-skinned people having as their ultimate supreme beings white people. All the gods looked like the people, but the god who ruled those gods were white? This makes me think that the conquerors twisted their details, or misinterpreted words and symbols. White as in energy and white as in color is not the same thing at all, at least to my way of thinking.
I am going to go ahead and read one other Spence book, which relates myths and legends of Mexico and Peru. But I have taken his others off my list. Not so much because of the annoyances with this book, but because I took a closer look at them and they felt dense and dull to me now. I will find other sources someday to feed my interest about those areas.
The book was interesting to a point, most likely outdated in many ways (it was written in 1907, and I'm sure there has been much more research and many more discoveries since that time) but still overall nearly satisfying. I also now have to feed my new curiosity about Peru: llamas, the Andes, a lake whose name made the classroom giggle. That is pretty much all I remember learning about the country way back when. So I've hunted up titles by other authors about the country to add to my lists.
I am not sure exactly what displeased me about this book enough to rate it only 2 stars, but I was annoyed by the time I reached the final pages. We will most likely never know for certain how the various ancient belief systems came about: by the 1920's Spence himself was pushing his theory about Atlantis, pointing out the many similarities between widely separated indigenous peoples of the New World and the 'lost' civilizations of the Old. Maybe what bothered me about this book was that it felt a bit like a rehearsal of sorts for those future ideas. It was too easy to see the dots being connected.
Or maybe it was the idea about these beautiful dark-skinned people having as their ultimate supreme beings white people. All the gods looked like the people, but the god who ruled those gods were white? This makes me think that the conquerors twisted their details, or misinterpreted words and symbols. White as in energy and white as in color is not the same thing at all, at least to my way of thinking.
I am going to go ahead and read one other Spence book, which relates myths and legends of Mexico and Peru. But I have taken his others off my list. Not so much because of the annoyances with this book, but because I took a closer look at them and they felt dense and dull to me now. I will find other sources someday to feed my interest about those areas.
August 28, 2017
Mexico and its history, ancient or otherwise, is a fascinating topic. But when an author has a dull writing style, the most exciting book in the world will become tedious. That is what happened to me here.
Add outdated and/or incorrect information to the boring writing and you get one annoyed reader. I just can not continue. I've tried Spence before and was not overly thrilled with him, but I wanted to give him another chance because I love reading about Mexico.
If I was going to play by the rules, I would give him a third chance, but this time it has to be two strikes you're out, not three. Sorry, Spence!
(An extra star for the lovely illustrations, though!)
Add outdated and/or incorrect information to the boring writing and you get one annoyed reader. I just can not continue. I've tried Spence before and was not overly thrilled with him, but I wanted to give him another chance because I love reading about Mexico.
If I was going to play by the rules, I would give him a third chance, but this time it has to be two strikes you're out, not three. Sorry, Spence!
(An extra star for the lovely illustrations, though!)
August 14, 2020
This is a book published in 1913 by a Scottish author. I was ready for poorly aged terms and a lot of speculation. I was incredibly pleased and surprised to see that it had none of that.
The way Spence talks about pre-Columbian people is factual and respectful, not referring to their practices as barbaric or primitive, nor comparing them to customs he is accustomed to, which is something you find a lot in late 19th to early 20th century books. It's a neutral description of what they knew at the time about pre-Columbian people, not washed with a Christian view.
It contains a lot of information, though not categorised in the best way. You definitely won't get a deep understanding on their culture, but you will get a good enough base and you can then research for yourself on more specific subjects.
He touches on their mythology and how it was applied in their daily lives, which gives you a multifaceted view of their religious practices. It's decently accurate and well written.
Oh, it should also be mentioned that Spence is very brief on the subjects he touches, including specific tales. That's fine for me, considering the book is about a whole spectrum of things, from the origin of the myths, what each deity means, to the practices it created. Some people might prefer to read longer chapters on each tale, and if that's the case for you then you're probably not going to enjoy this book very much. I personally preferred it like that, since I was going to research the individual tales anyway.
4/5, good book if you want entry-level knowledge, or just a guideline for what to research in order to know more about pre-Columbian mythology. Aged really well and made me respect Lewis Spence even more. Wish it was categorised better, but that doesn't take much away from what is to be learned from the book.
The way Spence talks about pre-Columbian people is factual and respectful, not referring to their practices as barbaric or primitive, nor comparing them to customs he is accustomed to, which is something you find a lot in late 19th to early 20th century books. It's a neutral description of what they knew at the time about pre-Columbian people, not washed with a Christian view.
It contains a lot of information, though not categorised in the best way. You definitely won't get a deep understanding on their culture, but you will get a good enough base and you can then research for yourself on more specific subjects.
He touches on their mythology and how it was applied in their daily lives, which gives you a multifaceted view of their religious practices. It's decently accurate and well written.
Oh, it should also be mentioned that Spence is very brief on the subjects he touches, including specific tales. That's fine for me, considering the book is about a whole spectrum of things, from the origin of the myths, what each deity means, to the practices it created. Some people might prefer to read longer chapters on each tale, and if that's the case for you then you're probably not going to enjoy this book very much. I personally preferred it like that, since I was going to research the individual tales anyway.
4/5, good book if you want entry-level knowledge, or just a guideline for what to research in order to know more about pre-Columbian mythology. Aged really well and made me respect Lewis Spence even more. Wish it was categorised better, but that doesn't take much away from what is to be learned from the book.
May 28, 2012
I love reading about myths and legends. This is one of the better books on that topic (specific for Mexico and Peru) because it has pictures, glossary and references in it which makes researching a little easier.
October 28, 2007
Initially, I thought this book would fulfill my need for myths and folk tales of the American aborigine, but I was actually wrong. The myths here and tales are too short to carry one away into another past, but they still are interesting enough to allow one a little understanding into the background of Latin American heritage. This is a good read for true fans of that nature, otherwise, you must go elsewhere.
September 26, 2021
It's an early 20th century academic book, and thus somewhat outdated, but also posthumously vindicated at times in surprising & impressive ways when Spence was up against the stiff, arrogant ignorance of his peers - many of whom were surely fairly racist as well as more generally blinded by ego. The author seems immune to these sorts of trappings, and in great reverence of indigneous people and the ancient world - without necessarily being overly biased in their favor. His writing strives always toward fairness, rationality and balance, but still colorful and full of flavor - no small achievement!
One thing that might have delighted Spence to learn was the attribution of most ancient Mesoamerican civilization to the Olmec rather than the Toltec, as discoveries proceeding this book eventually revealed. For those less entrenched in the history of Mesoamerican civilizations than even I - a decided casual who happens to fancy Olmecs - this is a point that should likely be noted when reading, and it may have answered some of his questions regarding the origin and veracity of Toltec myths, had he lived long enough to postulate on this new data.
Though this is a book of myths, it is not treated Brother's Grimm style, as a mere anthology of accounts but is, instead, with the stories stated almost as fact, strung together with the author's historical exposition/corroboration, like beads and spacers on a necklace. Maybe a wirewrap or complicated beaded leather thing, if analysis & conjecture could be likened to the leather or wire.
The language (because of the time in which it is written) is occasionally dense by today's standards, but Spence's dry wit and Holmesian deductions reveal a brilliant mind and make it a consistent delight nonetheless. Like Bertrand Russell or Howard Zinn, Spence is unafraid to color his academia with deadpan asides and personal opinions, and this is to the credit of the book as a whole & make it quite a fun & educational read.
One thing that might have delighted Spence to learn was the attribution of most ancient Mesoamerican civilization to the Olmec rather than the Toltec, as discoveries proceeding this book eventually revealed. For those less entrenched in the history of Mesoamerican civilizations than even I - a decided casual who happens to fancy Olmecs - this is a point that should likely be noted when reading, and it may have answered some of his questions regarding the origin and veracity of Toltec myths, had he lived long enough to postulate on this new data.
Though this is a book of myths, it is not treated Brother's Grimm style, as a mere anthology of accounts but is, instead, with the stories stated almost as fact, strung together with the author's historical exposition/corroboration, like beads and spacers on a necklace. Maybe a wirewrap or complicated beaded leather thing, if analysis & conjecture could be likened to the leather or wire.
The language (because of the time in which it is written) is occasionally dense by today's standards, but Spence's dry wit and Holmesian deductions reveal a brilliant mind and make it a consistent delight nonetheless. Like Bertrand Russell or Howard Zinn, Spence is unafraid to color his academia with deadpan asides and personal opinions, and this is to the credit of the book as a whole & make it quite a fun & educational read.
August 3, 2023
It is so outdated it starts stating the American continent was colonized via frozen bridge from Europe.
May 28, 2019
Outdated terms for indigenous peoples aside, the book has a somewhat winding 'narrative' and takes a generally unstructured view at Incan and Aztec cultures.
While it does establish in the prologue the hypothesis that these cultures evolved independent of eastern or western civilizations at the time, the facts within the book don't provide enough weight, nor are they weaved in with critical arguments from the contrary side to help the author to the conclusion.
Having read this for a writing project, it did provide a ton of great facts and mythos along with critical cultural details to help outline these two early American empires.
While it does establish in the prologue the hypothesis that these cultures evolved independent of eastern or western civilizations at the time, the facts within the book don't provide enough weight, nor are they weaved in with critical arguments from the contrary side to help the author to the conclusion.
Having read this for a writing project, it did provide a ton of great facts and mythos along with critical cultural details to help outline these two early American empires.
February 15, 2019
This book provides an insight into not only ancient and medieval Mexican and Peruvian religion but also turn-of-the-Twentieth-Century scholarly thinking on the subject. Reading this work further emphasizes the feeling of loss all humanity has experienced by the nearly complete destruction of these civilizations and their ideas.
December 1, 2021
An in-depth history covering the myths and lifestyles and legends of Mexico and Peru. I wish there were more pics in it and the maps more appropriately placed (kindle edition).
As far as content I really enjoyed it and was worth my time to read.
As far as content I really enjoyed it and was worth my time to read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews