Legends Of The Plumed Serpent: Biography Of A Mexican God

by Neil Baldwin

Looks at the Aztec civilization of Mexico, describes the role and characteristics of their deity Quetzalcoatl, and discusses the influence of the myth of the plumed serpent

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book overall - it's basically an art history of the Plumed Serpent figure in Mexican history and culture. Roughly the first half of the book is exploring the appearances throughout different pre-Conquest indigenous cultures, and the second half explores the reactions to, interpretations of, and ideologies behind Quetzalcoatl in colonial and modern Mexico. On the whole, the writing flows well, the images and texts are fully integrated to support each other, and the book is actually a really interesting guide into both ancient and modern Mexican art movements. When talking about the role of Quetzalcoatl in the works Los Tres Grandes (Rivera, Orozco, Siquieros), I actually learned a lot about the symbolism and metaphors and meaning behind those art pieces that I never knew before.

So why 3 stars? Skip the first 2 chapters. I had to restart this book 3 times because I kept getting turned off by just the first 10 pages. Chapters 1 and 2 are radically different in tone and content from the rest of the book - instead of focusing on the art, history, and meaning, they try to humanize the work by explaining why the author was so fascinated by Quetzalcoatl. I bought a book about Quetzalcoatl - I don't care about Neil Baldwin! In addition, the writing here is a long, clunky mixture of travelogues and anecdotes. For example, consider this sentence: "Although I suffered my share of nightmares, alone and sweating as the only guest in a remote hotel during the off-season, with no telephone or television, awakening with a start at 3 o'clock in the morning in the pitch darkness, swearing I could hear a nearby field murmuring to each other, in the best of my times in Mexico, Alexander Von Humboldt's was a soulful sensibility I looked to for solace: "It is the man himself we wish to see in contact with the objects around him," he insisted." That isn't a sentence - that's a parade! Line after line without even a break for refreshments, and I am still not quite sure what it means.

But I discovered that the rest of the book is much better written. The art is also beautiful, and I love the use of quotes and primary sources.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book had a great idea, but I wasn't overly impressed with its execution. Especially towards the end there seemed to be a switch from a history of Quetzalcóatl to a general history of different aspects of Mexico. Then towards the very end, it switched back to the main theme. I still gave it 4 stars because it was still good information for someone like me, just not what I feel it should have been given the title.