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

The first anthology in any language to present the full trajectory of this remarkable literature. 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. It is a literary journey into the heart of one of the world's great civilizations. In these pages the reader will encounter, often in new translations, deeply affecting Aztec poems, horrific accounts of conquest, and the thoughtful philosophy of the Mayan "bible," the Popol Vuh. Full, clear introductions give any reader access to this extraordinary material. 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.