[Contents]
About This Book
A systematic study of pre-Columbian Mexican religion, concentrating on the beliefs, deities, rituals, calendar systems, and mythic cosmology of the Nahua-speaking peoples and their divergence from Maya traditions. The author analyzes primary sources—codices, native chronicles, and archaeological evidence—to trace the origins, iconography, and functions of major gods, priesthoods, sacrificial and calendrical rites, and concepts of death and renewal. Chapters compare ritual forms across regions, interpret calendrical and divinatory texts such as the tonalamatl and solar cycles, and discuss how myths and ritual practice shaped social and ceremonial life, supported by illustrations and textual commentary.