Re-creating primordial time : foundation rituals and mythology in the postclassic Maya codices / Gabrielle Vail, Christine Hernández.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vail, Gabrielle.

Contributor:

Hernández, Christine L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Maya mythology.

Creation--Mythology.

Manuscripts, Maya.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (534 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Boulder : University Press of Colorado, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Re-Creating Primordial Time offers a new perspective on the Maya codices, documenting the extensive use of creation mythology and foundational rituals in the hieroglyphic texts and iconography of these important manuscripts. Focusing on both pre-Columbian codices and early colonial creation accounts, Vail and Hernandez show that in spite of significant cultural change during the Postclassic and Colonial periods, the mythological traditions reveal significant continuity, beginning as far back as the Classic period. Remarkable similarities exist within the Maya tradition, even as new mythologies were introduced through contact with the Gulf Coast region and highland central Mexico. Vail and Hernandez analyze the extant Maya codices within the context of later literary sources such as the Books of Chilam Balam, the Popol Vuh, and the Codice Chimalpopoca to present numerous examples highlighting the relationship among creation mythology, rituals, and lore. Compiling and comparing Maya creation mythology with that of the Borgia codices from highland central Mexico, Re-Creating Primordial Time is a significant contribution to the field of Mesoamerican studies and will be of interest to scholars of archaeology, linguistics, epigraphy, and comparative religions alike"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

""Cover""; ""Contents""; ""Figures""; ""Tables""; ""Preface""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""1. Introduction to the Maya Codices""; ""2. Mexican Codices and Mythological Traditions""; ""3. Mythological Episodes Related in Maya Sources""; ""4. World Renewal in the Dresden Codex: The Yearbearer Ceremonies""; ""5. Flood Episodes and Crocodilians in the Maya Codices""; ""6. Creation Mythology in Reference to Chaak, Chak Chel, and Mars in the Maya Codices""; ""7. Creation Mythology in the Dresden Venus Table and Related Almanacs""; ""8. Madrid Yearbearer Celebrations and Creation Mythology""

""9. World Renewal Ceremonies in the Madrid Codex""""10. A Reconsideration of Maya Deities Associated with Creation""; ""11. Cosmology in the Maya Codices""; ""References Cited""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781457184314

1457184311

9781607322214

1607322218

OCLC:

856929750