A vivid, accessible introduction to Aztec mythology through 60 richly illustrated entries featuring gods, creatures, and great tales, from the origins of the world to Tenochtitlan.Discover the major figures and essential stories of the Nahua traditions of central Mexico: Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli, Tlaloc, Coatlicue, Coyolxauhqui, Xipe Totec, Mictlantecuhtli, the Five Suns, the birth of the Sun and Moon, Mictlan, Tlalocan, the Mexica migration, and much more.How was the world shaped from primordial forces? Why do Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca confront Cipactli? How does Nanahuatzin become the Sun? Why does Huitzilopochtli battle Coyolxauhqui? Why does Quetzalcoatl descend into Mictlan to help create humankind? And how do the Mexica eventually found Tenochtitlan?From the origins of the cosmos and the Five Suns to the great divine powers, fertility goddesses, the stories of Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli, the beings and realms of the afterlife, and finally the Mexica migration and the founding of Tenochtitlan, the book follows a clear path through the major traditions of the Nahua world.Each two-page spread pairs a full-page illustration with a clear, engaging account, along with the relationships, domains, symbols, and key figures worth remembering. A short explanatory section places each story in context, while a source note identifies the major codices, Nahua texts, chroniclers, and traditions associated with it.Feathered serpents, jaguars, warrior gods, deities of rain and fire, primordial creatures, successive worlds, divine sacrifice, transformations, sacred mountains, journeys through the afterlife, and legendary migrations come together in a world where gods, humans, nature, and cosmic order are deeply intertwined.What is commonly called "Aztec mythology" actually draws from a range of Nahua traditions from central Mexico rather than a single, unified body of stories. Where major versions differ, those variations are noted so readers can appreciate the richness of the surviving sources without making the book unnecessarily difficult to follow.An illustrated, engaging, and accessible introduction to the gods and great stories of the Aztec world, for curious teens and adults alike.
