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Handbook of Inca Mythology (World Mythology) Illustrated Edition

by Paul Richard Steele (Author), Catherine Jean Allen (Contributor)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
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The first introduction to the Incas and their myths aimed at students and general readers, bringing together a wealth of information into one convenient resource.

Full of hard to find information, Handbook of Inca Mythology provides an accessible introduction to the rites, beliefs, and spiritual tales of the Incas. It provides a concise overview of Incan civilization and mythology, a chronology of mythic and historical events, and an A–Z inventory of central themes (sacrifice, fertility, competition, reversaldualism, colors, constellations, giants, and miniatures), personages (Viracocha, Manco Capac, Pachackuti Inca), locations (Lake Titicaca, Corickancha), rituals, and icons.

The last Native American culture to develop free of European influence, the Incas, who had no written language, are known only from Spanish accounts written after the conquest and archaeological finds. From these fragments, a vanished world has been reborn and reintroduced into modern Andean life. There is no better way into that world and its mind-bending mythology than this unique handbook.

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Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    1576073548
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1576073544
  3. Edition
    Illustrated
  4. Publisher
    ABC-CLIO
  5. Publication date
    December 8, 2004
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7 x 0.81 x 10 inches
  8. Print length
    336 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Another entry in ABC-CLIO's Handbooks of World Mythology series, with an introduction and overview followed by an A-Z "Encyclopedia of Mythic Narratives, Themes, and Concepts." Despite a note on orthography--modern spellings versus older spellings--both varieties are used within articles (e.g., Tiahuanaco and Tiwanaku), not always consistently. Andean myths, rather than exclusively Inca myths, are included, since the Incas co-opted the mythology of conquered peoples into their own. The nearly 70 encyclopedia entries mostly cover individual gods, demons, and heroes, but there are also entries for Coca, Colors, Felines, Mountains, and other topics that are an important part of Andean tradition.

Illustrations include black-and-white photographs and reproductions of title pages of early printed books and manuscripts. Each article has cross-references and readings. There are an annotated list of print and nonprint resources and a separate bibliography as well as a glossary and a separate pronunciation guide and index. The index does not include both older and modern spellings.

This work would probably be most useful in academic libraries with Andean studies or folklore and mythology collections. Larger public libraries with extensive folklore and mythology collections may also want to consider it. The Handbooks of World Mythology series also includes titles on Arab, Celtic, classical, Egyptian, Hindu, Japanese, Mesoamerican, Native American, Norse, and Polynesian mythology. Kathleen Stipek
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Written by credible scholars in the field, the reader can have reasonable confidence in the reliability of the information provided. . . . Students will particularly appreciate the summary of relevant literature, the guide to best available videos, suggested Websites, the extensive section of reference, and a glossary.” ―American Reference Books Annual

“Highly recommended. Public, academic, art, anthropology, and Latin American studies libraries.” ―Choice

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ABC-CLIO; Illustrated edition (December 8, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1576073548
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1576073544
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.68 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.81 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

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Paul R. Steele

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert Benfer
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good introduction
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2009
Verified Purchase
This book is for a general audience. It is well written with only occasional use of perhaps overly technical words, for example, chthonic for underworld. It has a very good Index and a list of essential references, at least those that have been published in English. The glossary is also quite useful. In areas in which I am somewhat knowledgeable, I find a good summary is presented but with a minimum of references.

Missing is any reference to the common origin myth of the Maya (Popul Vuh) and Andeans (Huarichiri); likewise other shared myths such as the revolt of the objects are not mentioned. Further, the common substitution of body parts in Andean sculpture, such as at Chavín is not contrasted to the another region where it is well-known, China, as seen in dragons. The Maya case must represent diffusion for the degree of similarity in the quite unusual origin myth; that of China would at least apprise the reader that the Andean case is not unique.

In brief, the book provides a good introduction to Inca mythology and that treatment is extended to pre-Incan peoples in some instances, such as the Moche. It is pitched to somewhere between a popular readership and one useful as a good introductory treatment in a class room at a low grade level at a university. General readers will find the alienness of the myths, less tempered by the introduction of European ones than, say, in Central America, accessible, although the hand of the ethnographer Catherine J. Allen, listed as "with the assistance of") would have helped the readers understanding by supplying more contemporary examples.
5 people found this helpful
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Yuliya Greben
4.0 out of 5 stars Inca
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2005
It is said that today there are no more Inca and little history left by them. Even if it is so, then Paul Steel's version of Inca Mythology inclines me to state that ancient Incas were great myth-makers and Andean culture has evolved its own unique mythology, offering a way, sometimes even provocative, to understand the world.

The Handbook of Inca Mythology contains a short description of ancient Inca and Andean Civilization as well as explains the reason why this culture has almost vanished under the influence of another, Spanish, culture. However, the only carriers of the Inca Mythology: Mythic Narratives, Themes and Concepts to which we refer today are the texts left by the chroniclers and Andean authors of the time of the Spanish invasion. Despite this limitation, the book offers an interesting interpretation of Incan myths, stories and beliefs, from which emerges a Mythology whose central concerns were similar to those of all the great civilizations: the creation of the world, death and rebirth, deities and heroes, and cults and shrines.

They seem extremely detailed and complex, with a large number of difficult names to read. However, the supporting examples portrayed in the book underline a logically striking way of seeing the world.

Unlike Western tradition, Andean stories and narratives depicting deities and cultural heroes from A to Z in graphic details would be a fascinatingly informative reading for those interested in the Inca Mythology.

However, The Handbook of Inca Mythology is let down by poor illustrations, and needs more, higher quality pictures and drawings in order to achieve its aims.
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