The Hungry Woman: Myths and Legends of the Aztecs

by John Bierhorst

Featuring unique illustrations by Aztec artists of the sixteenth century, this collection of legends from the Aztec civilization includes stories about creation, the founding of Mexico, and the final days of Montezuma

Genres: Mythology, Fiction

148 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

John Bierhorst is the author, editor, or translator of more than thirty books on Native American lore, including Latin American Folktales, The Mythology of South America, The Mythology of North America, and The Mythology of Mexico and Central America.

Reviews

[Tocotin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a very short book, with a good preface, notes, and original illustrations. The only problem is that it's so short! And (not a problem) scary. The Aztecs were really a bloodthirsty bunch. I read once that one in five children in the Aztec empire would be killed as a human sacrifice in one way or another. I'm not surprised now, their gods really liked gore.
It's such a seriously different culture that I'd love to read some fiction about Aztecs (preferably not from the time of the conquistadores) and see how contemporary authors handle it. When I was reading this book I kept thinking about Pratchett - can't remember him lampooning anything more disturbing than an occasional human sacrifice, certainly nothing on the Aztec scale.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bierhorst dedicated his life in the effort to preserve the literary traditions of Native American cultures from throughout the continent. Arguably these efforts are meant for anthologies, but individual efforts like Hungry Woman, mostly concerned with formative Mexico and culminating in the familiar narratives of Montezuma and Juan Diego, result in bite-sized portions that perhaps could have used more commentary. Bierhorst includes introductions and notes. I think ideally these would have been better incorporated with the material. One way or another, the material is slight, and Bierhorst's contributions offer the greatest insight, so that when you read the legends themselves you can't help being disappointed. Which is why this is stuff better suited to anthologies.

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book, that collects a lot of primary-source texts from various places into one convenient book. The introduction is very informative, the translations of the text is lively, and the mythology itself is vibrant and exciting. The dynamic between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca is unlike anything I've read about before (with the possible exception of Set in Egyptian mythology), in that one appears good and the other bad, but that's not really true. They just get their own eras, and when the time is up, they stand aside for the other. One is a wisdom god and the other a war god, and there's a clear preference for the former, but the Aztecs had no problem with a war god either. I was glad to find this book as a mythology resource, the more so as it was unfamiliar to me.

[Sam Desir-Spinelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty interesting collection of Aztec legend and myths. Presented as short stories in chronological order with an overarching continuity.

A glimpse into a belief system and culture that’s brand new to me.

The section regarding the arrival of the Spaniards in Mexico, from the perspective of Aztec legend was really unique and fascinating.


In terms of depth, this book had a good balance between scholarly information and readability. It felt accessible to me, having no real prior knowledge about the Aztecs.

Before reading I recommend glancing at the page in the back of the book that details pronunciations and the glossary of unique terms. I didn’t know it was there, and when I got to the end I realized I was mentally mispronouncing all the names.



Also be warned there are some dark/ violent themes.

[Gregory Mele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but well-done overview of a number of Nahua (Aztec and related cultures) legends and myths. A great short intro, the footnotes are good, but as the tales are obscure to most readers and reflect a non-European culture, would have worked better as footnotes or full annotations.

[Tessa Ramos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would like to find another translation, this one seems biased towards European histories.

[Gabriel Lopez-Shaw]

Excellent resource on prominent myths of the mexica peoples. Very informative and with a unique spin on a few of the tales that I've read before.