Mesoamerican Book Reviews

This page serves as a brief review of books that might (or might not) be helpful to those wanting to study more on Mesoamerican spirituality. It is not complete by far, but I've tried to cover some major books and discuss their strong and weak points, to assist any interested.

Religions of Mesoamerica, David Carrasco
This was the first book I ever read on Mesoamerican religion, and it remains a favorite of mine. This book is a great introduction to the subject, as Carrasco covers several of the major points of Mesoamerican religion in a way that is scholarly, but still easy for the layman to understand, and not too dry. It is relatively short and to the point, and Carrasco sticks to the facts and evidence rather than engaging in too many pet theories. He covers the Mesoamerican view of the city (something important, I feel, to understanding Mesoamerica's unique urban spirituality), the ancient originators of Mesoamerican culture (namely the Olmecs), Aztec religion, Maya religion, and the effects and remnants of ancient spirituality in current Mesoamerica. In keeping with his too-the-point delivery, Carrasco also remains unbiased in his presentation, and is successful at explaining the deeper meanings of even the most difficult subjects, such as sacrifice, in ways easy to understand for those new to the subject.

Aztec Thought and Culture, Miguel Leon-Portilla
In my opinion, Portilla is good for two things: discussing the roles of the poet and philosopher in Aztec society (roles that are often ignored to focus on the more shocking aspects of Aztec culture), and translating Nahuatl excellently, without destroying the beautiful metaphors that make up so much of Aztec expression. However, as well as he works as a philosopher and translator, he fails in his presentation of Aztec religion. While Portilla clearly loves the subjects of his studies, he is perhaps one of the worst scholars in regards to pushing his pet theories. Portilla's favorite theory is that, while the majority of the Aztec populace believed that what they were worshipping were innumerable gods, there existed an educated elite that understood that all the gods were merely names for Ometeotl and its' four sons, the cosmic forces. Portilla doesn't offer any evidence for his theory but merely states that it is so, and not even his own translations of Aztec philosophical, theological, and poetic texts backs up his theory, but often contradict it. This often leads him to backtrack on his own statements, stating in one paragraph that the elite believed only in elemental-like cosmic forces, then writing in the next of the Aztec wise men pleading passionately on behalf of their various gods before the Spanish. Portilla appreciates the high civilization of the Aztecs, but it seems that he has fallen into the trap of many: trying to measure civilization based only on Christianized Western conceptions of what "high" thinking is, and then trying to prove the intellectual advancement of a civilization by claiming they believed more closely in accordance with this thinking. Unfortunately, his theory has generated a number of lay followers who use it to justify the assertion that the Aztecs were spiritually advanced because they believed in a singular, monotheistic god; something far-fetched even according to Portilla's theory.

If, however, you can ignore his less justified assertions and pet theories about Aztec religion, and focus on his treatment of Aztec philosophy and poetry, and his marvelous translations of classical Nahuatl, then this book might be worth looking into.

Maya Cosmos, David Freidel & Linda Schele
Definitely not a book for those who do not possess at least an introduction to Maya religion, but for those who do, this is a good book. This book is essentially a collection of the theories of some of the top Mayanists on Maya spirituality, and much of it is told in a story-telling fashion, each person telling their own story of how they made a particular discovery. This keeps it from being too dry, but it remains strongly scholarly and its' theories are up to date. It advances a greatly evidenced theory that Maya mythology was based on the movements of the night sky, which takes up a major portion of the beginning of the book. This is not, however, the only point in the book. It also focuses on Maya ceremonial spaces and the mythological symbolism contained therein, translations of ancient Mayan glyphs, some of the latest theories on ancient Maya theology and religious practices, sacrifice, and the continuance between the spiritual beliefs of the ancient Maya and their modern descendents. In all, I would rate this as a great book for those who already possess a basic understanding of Mesoamerican religion in general, and particularly recommend it to anyone interested in the Maya in particular.

This Tree Grows out of Hell, Ptolemy Tompkins
I would not recommend this book for those just starting to research Mesoamerican spirituality, as it is less a treatment of the beliefs and practices than a collection of interpretations of and theories on Mesoamerican spirituality. You need to have a feel for the subject before picking this one up.

That said, Tompkins begins this book by talking about how many have used the deceased cultures of Mesoamerica as playgrounds for theories that lack evidence, but that he feels that he himself has given appropriate evidence and justification for his theories. Well, he certainly gave plenty of evidence; if you consider evidence to come from any culture that is available, no matter how far removed in time or space from Mesoamerica. I think I learned more about Inuit shamans and Scandinavian poets than ancient Mesoamericans in this book.

Tompkins' basic premise is that, since Mesoamerican religion evolved from ancient shamanism (true), the civilizations of Mesoamerica gradually lost sight of and contact with true spirituality and the world of the gods as they advanced to higher levels of civilization and urbanization. He sees the Aztecs as the spiritually impoverished inheritors of the Mesoamerican religious legacy, who, having lost all contact with the gods and understanding of the spiritual realms, saw the world as a terrifying place with no redeeming features, and sacrificed people in a desperate attempt to reunite with gods who they believed valued mortals for nothing but food. My assessment is that Tompkins could not suspend his own cultural mindset to pass his judgments. As a result, he sees the Aztecs in a way many bystanders would without a closer look; as a violent and psychotic culture who's apparent obsession with death could result in nothing but neurosis and pathetic attempts at transcending the physical. Not an exaggeration on my part here; Tompkins actually theorizes that the Aztecs were a culture of neurotics, and uses psychotic thought patterns as explanations for many Mesoamerican cultural traits. "Misguided" is one of his favorite words to use in reference to Mesoamerican spiritual beliefs and practices, and in general he seems to view the Mesoamericans as pitiable people struggling desperately for spiritual insight, who still didn't know what to do with it when they received it because they had lost the guiding force of the shaman.

Here's the biggest catch: Tompkins has either done poor research, or has chose to ignore entire aspects of Mesoamerican culture in favor of paying attention to the outwardly terrifying ones. His picture of the Aztecs as a culture of miserable neurotics just waiting to die is made possible only by deleting the portions of their culture that reveled in beauty and poetry, celebrated living, and didn't exist beneath a shadow where death was a thing to be terrified of. Even the Spaniards themselves couldn't ignore these portions of Aztec culture, and as a result were confused by the life/death duality they saw in the Aztecs, but could not deny the Aztec's love of life. It seems that Tompkins has chose to ignore those facts rather than deal with the same confusion, and due to the fact that there isn't much appropriate evidence for his theories from Mesoamerica barring these aspects of their culture, he seeks the majority of his evidence elsewhere. While I am very fond of comparative religion, I find it impossible to construct a realistic view of the beliefs of a group of cultures based only on the practices of other cultures.

An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya, Mary Miller & Karl Taube
This book is a general reference manual for all things Mesoamerican. Pretty much anything you can imagine that has to do with Mesoamerican spirituality (and some things you wouldn't imagine) has an entry in this book. It is exactly what the title states it is: a dictionary. As such, the entries are not overly long or detailed, but do well enough in giving a gist of the essentials. This certainly isn't a book for learning the basics of Mesoamerican religions, simply because you can't sit down, read it, and understand how Mesoamerican spirituality functions, anymore than by reading an English dictionary you could acquire a strong understanding of how the grammar works. It is, however, a very accessible book for the layperson, it must simply be used in conjunction with other books that outline the actual workings of these religions. You are likely to be able to find at least a short description of most deities, sacred plants, animals or religious practices, and often more. It certainly doesn't give enough information to "get to know" a deity, for example, but it could probably give a person enough information to know if they wanted to do further research into a particular deity. It is illustrated with black and white pictures of artifacts, codices, glyphs and ruins. In general, I would recommend this book as an easy reference guide for anyone interested in Mesoamerican religion.

Secrets of the Talking Jaguar, Martin Prechtel
This book is a memoir of the author's journey to Guatemala and subsequent acceptance into a Maya community and training as a shaman. Granted, there's a lot of books out there by rip-offs who claim to be shamans tutored by so-and-so prestigious Native American; this isn't one of them. If you're looking for a how-to book, this certainly isn't it. Prechtel is elusive in his descriptions of certain aspects of Maya shamanism and outright states that he cannot talk about certain things because it is disrespectful or dangerous to speak of them casually. The secrets the title of this book speaks of are just that, secrets, and he never reveals what should be kept that way. His writing style is unique and casual, and this book is good for inspiring the feel of "being there" rather than engaging in minute technical descriptions. This isn't an anthropology book; it is a personal and very interesting story, and Prechtel makes it clear that he simply is a Maya shaman (a post that he does not at all glorify or romanticize, but rather questions why others do), and accepts the spiritual realms and experiences of the shaman and writes about them eloquently, rather than dissecting them to pieces or struggling to justify them in the light of either science or New Age mysticism. He makes a very powerful argument for indigenous peoples and the tribal nature of humanity, without preaching or glamorization, but simply using his own experiences to speak for themselves. In all, I would recommend this book for anyone interested in light and personal reading rather than heavy research, who can read a book about the mystical world without needing everything handed to them on a plate.

The Gods of Mexico, The Myths of Mexico and Peru, Lewis Spence
These are two separate books, both by Lewis Spence, that I decided to lump together my review for, as I have essentially the same thing to say about them both. Lewis Spence published his work in the early 1900's, and it is extremely dated. I would recommend his work for virtually nothing, as it is rife with negative factors, from racist assessments of the nature of Native Americans, to long defunct theories, to statements on the glory of Christianity. Unfortunately, Spence's work still floats around in view of the public, so I feel the need to make a few statements for any unknowing person that runs across it. The Gods of Mexico possesses only one mildly redeeming factor: a detailed description of the workings of the Tonalpohualli. Fortunately, this is something that is possible to find elsewhere. Pretty much everything else in this book needs to find a garbage can, and quick. Spence's descriptions of deities are very poor. Not only are they inaccurate, but he has the tendency to compare gods to Satan and Jesus whenever possible. Anyone wanting to learn more about the various gods should definitely look elsewhere, as most of his statements are misleading and historically inaccurate. He focuses on the Mesoamericans as primitive people practicing a barbaric religion, and wastes much of his time with such things as theorizing that the Aztecs abandoned their religion so quickly after the conquest because their religion was savage and dissatisfying in comparison to the beauty of Christianity, not considering that their decision might of been influenced threats of torture and death.

The Myths of Mexico and Peru is just as bad, perhaps even worse as it doesn't even have one redeeming factor. His retellings of the myths are very skewed and far off the historical mark. He has a tendency to take severe liberties with the mythologies. Among the worst is his altering of the myth of Motecuhzoma's visit from his deceased sister, originally a story in which she warned him of the coming Spaniards. In Spence's version, it becomes a tale of the Emperor's sister being resurrected by a Christian angel, shown the kingdom of Yahweh and being told by the angel to bow down to the superior Spaniards. Other gems include Spence's transformation of the Inca Manco Capac into a Jesus-like figure, and his interpretation of the mythological meaning of the Mayan Popol Vuh based on a broad-sweeping assessment of the "character of the American Indian." In short, avoid Spence's books if at all possible.

Native Mesoamerican Spirituality, Miguel Leon-Portilla
This book is what Miguel Leon Portilla is good at. It consists almost entirely of translations of actual Mesoamerican poems, religious texts, and speeches, with commentary and footnotes to assist in an understanding of the texts. Commendably, Portilla for the most part refrains from pushing his pet theories, and lets the texts speak for themselves while sticking mostly to historical facts and the Mesoamericans' own views of their beliefs. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Mesoamerican mythology, philosophy, and culture. While this book is accessible to laypeople and beginners, it would be best to already be familiar with the basics of Mesoamerican spirituality, as it is more a collection of authentic historical and spiritual texts than anything else. For anyone interested in getting acquainted with the beautiful and sensitive side of cultures such as the Aztecs, I would definitely recommend this book. Outside of the Nahuatl cultures, Native Mesoamerican Spirituality also focuses on Mayan, Mixtec, and other cultures. Highly recommended.

City of Sacrifice, David Carrasco
This book is good, but definitely not for those with only a casual interest in Aztec religion. This is an extremely scholarly book, and a background in college level comparative religions is definitely a plus in knowing what Carrasco is talking about. This book is not so much a general treatment of Aztec religion as it is a focus on two very important features of Mesoamerican religion; the Aztec's urban spiritual focus and expression, and human sacrifice. While this book is probably not very accessible to most, I feel that these two subjects are very important ones, as they are ones that few wish to tackle. This book is quite the opposite of Ptolemy Tompkins' work in most ways, though the focus is somewhat similar. Not only does Carrasco offer tremendous and relevant evidence and reinforce his work with a scholarly mastery of comparative religions and theology, he shows well how the Mesoamerican city was constructed as an expression of the sacred, and in general how the urban environment can assist in uniting a population with the spiritual rather than separating them from it. He also tackles the difficult topic of human sacrifice and gives a deep theological analysis of it, paying close attention to the Aztecs' own deep philosophies on sacrifice rather than discarding them favor of shock value, and manages to do so without either condemning or exonerating the Aztecs for the practice.

Maya History and Religion, J. Eric S. Thompson
This is another older book, but Thompson is considered something of the forefather of all Mayanists, so I thought I should say a thing or two about him. Unlike Lewis Spence, his work shouldn't be discarded outright. This book is a product of it's time, with it's share of outdated theories and biases, but Thompson at least makes a clean attempt at portraying the Maya accurately. It's a very scholarly work, and worth looking into for those who already have an understanding of Maya religion and culture, though I certainly wouldn't recommend it for an introduction to the Maya. There are more modern books that I would recommend more highly for that (to be added to my reviews as a later date!). If you do pick up this book, beware that many of his theories have long been disproved, both through a simple advancement of research and the cracking of the Maya glyphs. Some particularly long-dead theories to watch out for are the belief that Itzamna's name meant "Iguana House" and that he is the same deity as the cosmic monsters, and that the elite Maya practiced a near-monotheistic religion while the peasants practiced a polytheistic one. I would recommend virtually anything by David Freidel and/or Linda Schele more than this book for introduction purposes, but those who already know a thing or two might pick up this book just to give the forefather of Maya studies a remembrance.

The Broken Spears, Miguel Leon-Portilla
To put it bluntly and hopefully without being cheesy, there are very few books that I have ever read in my life that can make me cry. This would be one of them. This book is basically a translated version of the account of the conquest of Mexico from the Aztec's point of view, in their own words. You try reading about Cuauhtemoc begging Cortes to kill him because all of his people had already died and tell me you don't get teary eyed. Yes, there you have it people, Yehecatl is capable of experiencing emotions other than anger. ;p

The Gospel of the Toltecs: The Life and Teachings of Quetzalcoatl, Frank Diaz
You know it had to be done. I couldn't stop myself. I saw this book, and knew I needed to read through it to satiate my immediate frenzy with actual knowledge that I could destroy my enemy with. Needless to say, I'm not about to write a good review of this book. >)

It didn't take me long to realize that the word "Toltecs" has been forever polluted and misused by the New Age movement. Good luck finding a book about the actual historical culture now known as the Toltecs. If, however, you want a book proclaiming to teach you the secret mystical traditions of a warped, fictional version of the Toltecs (super sorcerers right in league with the space alien Maya and the Atlantean Olmecs), you have a myriad of volumes to choose from. Surprisingly enough, The Gospel of the Toltecs isn't even one of the worst ones.

The author begins the book by stating that he's seen a lot of books about the Toltecs on the market, but none of them are about the actual historical Toltecs. Good for him- he's dared to make a statement that would make a thousand New Agers cry. Unfortunately, he is not an angry person and tells them this is okay, but at least read his book to learn about the real mystical teachings of the Toltecs as exemplified by Quetzalcoatl. Though I'm no fan of Quetzalcoatl, at this point I had a slight hope for this book.

The book is, to both my amusement and chagrin, a retelling of the Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl story in a Biblical sort of format. In one sense this is good in that it deals with a real Mesoamerican myth rather than simply cloning and continuing to fluff the Carlos Castaneda stories. In another sense it is bad, because it simply gives more fuel to people who want to believe the Toltecs were a race of enlightened super sorcerers. I say this because the author falls into the trap of New Age-ifying the mythology. Quetzalcoatl becomes a figure rather like Jesus or Buddha, and Diaz presents the story in the same black and white framework that Christian interpretations often have. That is to say that Quetzalcoatl becomes the god of goodness and light identified with Jesus, while Tezcatlipoca (who does, of course, make His appearance in this book as the enemy of the Feathered Serpent) takes the role of Satan. I cannot express how inappropriate this is to Mesoamerican thinking, and what a disservice it does to these deities in their own rights. If Diaz had tried to remain truer to the original native views of the myth I could've possibly given him a better review, but as he simply stooped as so many others have to giving a real myth a New Age veneer and dualistic interpretation, I'm going to have to recommend to avoid it at all costs.

Mockeries and Metamorphoses of an Aztec God: Tezcatlipoca, "Lord of the Smoking Mirror", Guilhem Olivier

It's difficult to find information on Tezcatlipoca, let alone good information. It is also always difficult to impress someone who holds very dear the subject of a particular book. That in mind, my review of this book is mixed, but I will start out by saying that I do recommend it to anyone who is heavily interested in Tezcatlipoca in particular. I will also warn you that it runs around $75 dollars.

This is a scholarly text, and part of the Mesoamerican Worlds series, which is usually good. People who cannot handle dry discussions should avoid this book. The great thing about this book is that it discusses in great detail practically everything "known" about Tezcatlipoca. Obscure things you won't find anywhere else will be in this book. It draws from nearly all possible sources, from archaeology to the codices, from the reports of native informants alive during the conquest to current beliefs and practices among native populations.

This "completeness," however, is also the bane of this book. Essentially, Olivier thinks too much. Not everything has a deeper meaning or a subtle connection, yet he sees things this way. Let me give you an example of what I mean.

In discussion Tezcatlipoca's connections to obsidian, he mentions the oft-cited relationship between Tezcatlipoca and Itztlacoliuhqui. Some scholars see them as sharing some similarities, others see Itztlacoliuhqui as another one of Tezcatlipoca's titles. Itztlacoliuhqui is the god of blind justice, cold and snow, simply to clarify. All is well and good, but then Olivier starts to discuss how there are some vague and rare references to Itztlacoliuhqui under the title of Citli, "Hare." This is fine as well; many Aztec gods have multiple titles and names. The problem comes when the author talks about how in some legends, Huemac (a Toltec leader), hung himself in a place called the Cave of the Hare, where later the people recieved corn. Somehow, because the cave is called the Cave of the Hare, and Itztlacoliuhqui is occassionally referred to as "Hare," the author concludes that Itztlacoliuhqui is the same deity as Centeotl, the god of young corn, who is associated with warmth, springtime, and joyous things. I cannot think of two more opposite deities from the pantheon as Itztlacoliuhqui and Centeotl. To top it off, because Centeotl and Itztlacoliuhqui are the same, this also means that Tezcatlipoca is a fertility god, as He must function as Centeotl as well due to his closeness to Itztlacoliuhqui, and corn deities are clearly fertility deities as well.

In short, the author thinks too much. I like to see scholars who can root out the metaphors and symbology of Aztec religion, but there are times when a cigar is just a cigar. Some of the connections he concludes exist are very convincing. Others, rather than being based on discernable evidence, are clearly little more than desperately latching onto any vague and twisted possibility that can be discerned. Honestly, I don't know how he even thought to come to some of these conclusions. But despite this, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Tezcatlipoca, as it is very detailed and contains valuable information on a deity not often discussed at length.