The Myths of Mexico & Peru

About this eBook

Author

Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955

Credits

Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

Language

English

LoC Class

F3401: Latin America local history: Peru

Subject

Indians of South America -- Peru -- Folklore

Category

Text

Project Gutenberg

eBook-No. 53080

Release Date

September 18, 2016

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.Untitled
2. 2.PREFACE
3. 3.CONTENTS
4. 4.LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS — MAPS
5. 5.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
6. 6.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
7. 7.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 Papantzin 2 — Papantzin’s Story
8. 8.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
9. 9.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
10. 10.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
11. 11.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
12. 12.BIBLIOGRAPHY — Mexico — Central America — Peru
13. 13.INDEX AND GLOSSARY
14. 14.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
15. 15.Table of Contents
16. 16.Colophon — Availability — Encoding — Revision History — External References — Corrections

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