PART II

(Works written from 1800–1920)

Alexander, Hartley Burr, Latin-American Mythology. (Boston, 1920.)

Anales del Museo Nacional de Mexico. Tom. i, Mexico, 1877. (In progress.)

Bancroft, Hubert Howe, The Native Races of the Pacific States, 5 vols. (New York and London, 1875–1876.)

This great compilation is admirable as a painstaking précis of the extensive sources relating to Mexican and Mayan history and religion, but its author and his assistants confined themselves to collection and compilation alone, and ventured upon no critical treatment of the subject, for which task, they admit, they were not equipped.

Batres, L., Archæological Explorations in Escalerillas Street, City of Mexico, Year 1900. (Mexico, 1902.)

Beuchat, H., Manuel d’Archéologie Américaine (Amérique Préhistorique—Civilisations disparues). (Paris, 1912.)

A useful if somewhat condensed review of American archæology. Chapitre iv, livre ii, gives a short and not very thorough account of the gods, rites, priesthood, and magic of the ancient Mexicans. Chapitre v deals with the Calendar, and chapitre vi is useful for reference regarding the manuscripts and writing. There is a good bibliography.

Brasseur de Bourbourg, E. C., Histoire des nations civilisées du Mexique et de l’Amérique Centrale durant les siècles antérieurs à Christophe Colomb. 4 vols. (Paris, 1857–1859.)

The Abbé Brasseur’s idea was to explain American mythology as the apotheosis of history. But he unearthed many priceless materials, some of which are included in this work.

Brinton, Daniel Garrison, American Hero Myths (Philadelphia, 1882); “Were the Toltecs an Historic Nationality?” (Proc. Am. Phil. Soc., xxiv, pp. 229–241, 1887); Essays of an Americanist (Philadelphia, 1890); The Myths of the New World (3rd edition, revised) (Philadelphia, 1905).

Brinton’s books are all well written, but his ideas regarding mythology generally are now a little out-of-date. His works, however, will repay perusal. The student must be on his guard against Brinton’s etymologies, as his knowledge of the native languages, though extensive, was not exact.

Charency, H. de, Le Mythe de Votan, étude sur les origines Asiatiques de la Civilisation Américaine. (Alençon, 1871.)

Charnay, Désiré, Les anciennes Villes du nouveau monde. (Paris, 1885.) English translation as Ancient Cities of the New World. (London, 1887.)

Charnay’s acquaintance with Mexican archæology and mythology was elementary.

Chavero, Alfredo, Mexico a traves de los siglos, tom. i; Historia antigua y de la Conquista. (Barcelona, 1884.)

This enthusiastic and painstaking antiquary did much for the elucidation of all subjects relating to ancient Mexico, especially as regards the discovery and criticism of ancient works and manuscripts. But his zeal frequently betrayed him into somewhat fanciful explanations.

Chevalier, M., Le Mexique Ancien et Moderne. (Paris, 1886.)

Congrès international des Américanistes—comptes rendus. (Biennially, 1878 ff.)

Dieseldorff, E. P., “Cuculcan” (Zeit. für Ethnol., xxvii, Verhand., pp. 780–873).

Gamio, Manuel, “Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Mexico, 1914–1915” (Proc. Nineteenth Int. Cong. of Amer., Washington, 1915). (Washington, D.C., 1917.)

Haebler, K., Die Religion der Mittleren Amerika. (Münster, 1899.)

Hamy, Galerie Américaine du Musée d’ethnographie au Trocadéro. (Paris, 1897.)

Humboldt, Alexander von, Vues des Cordillères. (Paris, 1816.) English translation by Helen Williams, 1815.

Joyce, Thomas Athol, Mexican Archæology: an Introduction to the Archæology of the Mexican and Mayan Civilizations of pre-Spanish America. (London, 1914.)

Chapters ii, iii, and iv give a useful summary of Mexican Mythology, the Calendar and Calendrical Feasts, and Writing, Priesthood, Medicine, and Burial.

Journal de la Société des Américanistes de Paris (passim), tom. i. (Paris, 1896.) (In progress.)

Müller, J. G., Geschichte der Amerikanischen Urreligion. (Berlin, 1867.)

An industrious compilation, which must be used with caution. Its quotations are nearly all at second-hand and its hypotheses are not a little strained.

Nadaillac, Marquis de, Prehistoric America (trans.). (London, 1885.)

Very much in the nature of a popular presentation of the subject.

Nuttall, Zelia, The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations. (Papers, Peabody Mus., ii, 1901.)

Orozco y Berra, Historia antigua y de la Conquista de Mexico. 4 vols. (Mexico, 1880.)

Payne, Edward James, History of the New World called America. (London, 1892–1899.)

This exhaustive work, which deals with the evolution of culture on the American continent, is admirably conceived, and is obviously the result of much thought and research. As regards mythology, however, the author, although well versed in the early writings relating to Mexico, seems to have been unacquainted with those of modern specialists on the subject, and this, of course, limits his outlook. Nor does he display any acquaintance with the Mexican native codices.

Peñafiel, A., Monumentos del arte Mexicano antiguo, 3 vols. (Berlin, 1890.) Destruccion del templo mayor de Mexico y los monumentos encontrados en la ciudad en la excavaciones de 1897 y 1902. (Mexico, 1910.)

Prescott, W. H., History of the Conquest of Mexico. (New York, 1843.)

The few pages in which Prescott describes the religion of ancient Mexico are now quite useless for the purposes of the serious student.

Réville, A., Les Religions du Mexique, de l’Amérique Centrale et du Pérou. (Paris, 1885.) English translation as Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by the Native Religions of Mexico and Peru (Hibbert Lectures), 1884.

A sketchy and inaccurate account, showing only a second-hand acquaintance with the subject.

Robelo, C. A., Diccionario de mitologia Nahoa in Annals of the Mexican Museum, vols. ii–v, Second Series. (Mexico, 1905.)

Saville, M. H., “The Plumed Serpent in Northern Mexico.” (The Archæologist, vol. ii, pp. 291–293.)

Seler, Eduard, Gesammelte Abhandlungen zur Amerikanischen Sprach- und Altertumskunde, 5 vols. (Berlin, 1902–1915.)

This monumental work, comprising almost the entire output of its learned author, is indispensable for the study of Mexican archæology and religion.

Spence, Lewis, The Civilization of Ancient Mexico (Cambridge Manuals of Science and Letters). (London, 1911.) The Myths of Mexico and Peru. (London, 1913.)

The former work is a digest of the strictly verifiable material of Mexican history and religion; the latter a sketch of the subject on popular lines.

Spinden, Herbert J., A Study of Maya Art (Memoirs of the Peabody Museum, Harvard, vol. vi). (Cambridge, Mass., 1913.)

This admirable work, which is chiefly concerned with the subject-matter and development of Maya art, touches in places upon the forms and insignia of the Mexican deities.

Strebel, H., Alt-Mexico, Archäologische Beiträge, 2 vols. (Hamburg and Leipzig.)

Tylor, E. B., Anahuac or Mexico and the Mexicans. (London, 1861.)

Veytia, M., Historia antigua de Mexico. (Mexico, 1836.)

Wesselhoeft, Selma, and Parker, A. M., Mexican and Central American Antiquities, Calendar Systems and History. Twenty-four papers by Eduard Seler, E. Förstemann, Paul Schellhas, Carl Sapper, and E. P. Dieseldorff, translated from the German, under the supervision of Charles P. Bowditch. Bulletin 28 of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, 1904.