Mesoamerican Mythology: Quetzalcoatl

by Tom Daning

In graphic novel format, presents the Aztec tale of how warring gods Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca helped to form the Earth when they joined together to conquer the goddess Tlatecuhtli.

24 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Aurora]

Daning, Tom. Mesoamerican Mythology: Quetzalcoatl (2007). The mythological story of Quetzalcoatl is illustrated in this graphic novel with simple text and single or multiple colorful panels on each page. Initially, the three major characters are briefly defined with a pronunciation guide for their names, below the table of contents that provides the reader with some background knowledge. The story itself begins with the setting, Talocan, a paradise for the Mesoamerican gods and a description of the three main characters. The readers are first introduced to Quetzalcoatl, the most powerful leader, also known as the feathered serpent god. Then, we meet Tezcatlipoca, who often disguised himself as a jaguar and fostered fighting and discord. Lastly, we meet the powerful goddess, Tlatecuhtli, who rules the sea. The author proceeds to tell us about the major conflict between these three main characters and how, with the intervention of the other gods, the earth, the sky, and all of nature were created. At the end, the reader also finds a family tree, a glossary, an index, and a link to web sites relating to the Mesoamerican gods. Ultimately, the reader is left with limited knowledge to this mythological story of creation. I recommend that a revision include more background information. The illustrations, the short length of the book, and the graphic novel format were not convincing in teaching enough about this rich culture. It lacked some basic details such as that the gods names derived from the Aztec’s Nahuatl language and it did not identify what each god represented such as stating that Quetzalcoatl represented the wind and wisdom- which I learned from the web sites it referred me to. The target audience is ages 8-12 years of age. Teachers may use it as a brief introduction to Mesoamerican history or as a supplement to a genre study of mythologies from around the world, but ultimately I’d refer a teacher to a more informative source.