In the Language of Kings: An Anthology of Mesoamerican Literature, Pre-Columbian to the Present

By Miguel León-Portilla

Book Overview

From new interpretations of the glyphic writings of the Maya through the poetic response to events in modern Chiapas, here is a history of Mexico and Central America from the Indian point of view. In these pages the reader will encounter, often in new translations, the deeply affecting Aztec poems, the horrific battles of conquest, and the thoughtful philosophy of the Mayan bible, the Popol Vuh. Full, clear introductions make this extraordinary material accessible to all readers. In the Language of Kings is a gemstone of cultural strength for those who trace their ancestry to Mesoamerica, as well as an essential resource for historians and anthropologists. Above all, it is literature: intimate, grand, painful, proud, and finally renascent in the new awakening of the original peoples of Mesoamerica. [A] magnum opus of Mesoamerican literature...achieve[s] nothing less than the human and divine.--Bomb

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393324079
• ISBN13: 9780393324075
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 754 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

This is a time capsule sent to us from Mesoamerica.

I have taken the generic physical tours of Yucatán and the areas nearby. With each different guide, you get a whole different story of the history and the meanings of what writings were left. Finally, a comprehensive book helps you to understand and be part of the history of Mesoamerica. I don’t mean names and dates, and wars in general concepts. I mean, people like you and me talking to people like you and me. Here’s our chance to sample from a rich and not well-known culture.

from the graves of dead societies

Leon-Portilla has amassed a rare thing. A compilation mostly drawn from dead societies. Much of this reflects decades of research by dedicated scholars, who sweated over deciphering Mayan glyphs. A task initially thought to be impossible. The book also shows that the terms used in the Americas of "Hispanic" or "Latino" are totally inadequate and insulting when describing those who still have some nature heritage. Those labels are of the European adventurers [or freebooters or imperialists]. Reading the deciphered poetry and narratives shows a richness that does not hark to Castile or Cadiz. A richness of a totally different society.