From the snowy peaks of the Andes to the barren deserts of Arabia to the icy fjords of Scandinavia, cultures around the world have created mythological systems to explain the universe and humanity's place in it. ABC-CLIO's World Mythology series explores the belief systems of ancient societies on five continents and across millennia of history. What gave rise to them? How did they change with changing times? Why did they disappear? And what parts live on in modern cultures, around the world?

An excellent resource, Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythology introduces readers to the mythology of Mexico and Central America, with its primary focus on Mexican Highland and Maya areas based upon their importance to Mesoamerican history.

An extensive and edifying introduction defines the nature of myth, the Mesoamericans as a people, and the cultural worldview underlying their myths. Next, the Handbook presents historical and mythological timelines, with each time period and cultural group fully defined and with readings and additional references suggested where appropriate. Also featured is a quick geographical and historical survey of Mesoamerica from the Paleoindian Era to the present, as well as a discussion of some of the challenges and possibilities that structure Mesoamerican studies. An annotated bibliography, an extensive reference list, and a glossary are included and pronunciation guides are given throughout.

This introduction to the imaginative world of the Mexica (or Aztec) explores sacrifice in the richly textured life of 16th-century Mexico. Kay Almere Read describes a universe in which every object was timed by a given lifespan and in which sacrifice was the mechanism by which time functioned. This book makes a convincing case for what sacrifice meant religiously and for how it came to be that human sacrifice of staggering proportions could be accepted, matter-of-factly, by the Mexica people.