Art and Myth of the Ancient Maya

In his densely written text, Mazariegos (anthropology, Yale Univ.) conducts a scholarly exploration of broad themes within Maya mythology as illustrated in the culture's art. He compares myths depicted on classic Maya objects and recorded in the Popol Vuh, a postconquest Maya manuscript, with narratives recorded elsewhere in Mesoamerica. Mazariegos also identifies "nodal subjects"—core stories, characters, and imagery—that link Maya beliefs to those held by other Mesoamerican peoples, while acknowledging variations in stories from individual areas. The first three chapters discuss the relationship between image and text, pictorial and textual sources, and Mesoamerican cosmogony. The following sections explore depictions and myths about archetypal figures in Maya myths: the Maiden, the Grandmother, the Father, the Sun, the Sun's opponents, and the Perfect Youth. The author acknowledges that many myths depicted in Maya art may never be completely understood because no texts have survived that would explain them. In addition to an extensive bibliography, the book includes 99 color and 71 black-and-white illustrations. For a general text on Maya art, see Mary Ellen Miller and Megan O'Neill's Maya Art and Architecture, 2d ed.