File:The myths of Mexico and Peru (1913) (14803963863).jpg

Identifier: mythsofmexicoper01spen (find matches)
Title: The myths of Mexico and Peru
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955
Subjects: Indians of Mexico Indian mythology Indians of Mexico Indians of South America Indian mythology Indians of South America
Publisher: New York, T. Y. Crowell company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
egarded astwins. In some ways Quetzalcoatl was looked upon as acreator, and in the Mexican calendar followed the Fatherand Mother, or original sexual deities, being placed inthe second section as the creator of the world and man. The Mexican Noah Flood-myths, curiously enough, are of more commonoccurrence among the Nahua and kindred peoples thancreation-myths. The Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg hastranslated one from the Codex Chimalpopoca, a workin Nahuatl dating from the latter part of the sixteenthcentury. It recounts the doings of the Mexican Noahand his wife as follows : And this year was that of Ce-calli, and on thefirst day all was lost. The mountain itself was sub-merged in the water, and the water remained tranquilfor fifty-two springs. Now toward the close of the year Titlacahuan hadforewarned the man named Nata and his wife Nena,saying, * Make no more pulque^ but straightway hollowout a large cypress, and enter it when in the monthTozoztli the water shall approach the sky. They
Text Appearing After Image:
A Flood-Myth of the Nahua William Sewell THE SACRIFICED PRINCESS entered it, and when Titlacahuan had closed the doorhe said, * Thou shalt eat but a single ear of maize, andthy wife but one also. As soon as they had finished eating, they wentforth, and the water was tranquil ; for the log did notmove any more ; and opening it they saw many fish. Then they built a fire, rubbing together pieces ofwood, and they roasted fish. The gods Citallinicueand Citallatonac, looking below, exclaimed, DivineLord, what means that fire below ? Why do they thussmoke the heavens ? Straightway descended Titlacahuan - Tezcatlipoca,and commenced to scold, saying, What is this firedoing here ? And seizing the fishes he moulded theirhinder parts and changed their heads, and they wereat once transformed into dogs. The Myth of the Seven Caverns But other legends apart from the creation-stories ofthe world pure and simple deal with the origin ofmankind. The Aztecs believed that the first menemerged from a place

Note About Images