12 h 38 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 38 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a world ends—and another sun rises in its place?
In The Myths of Mexico & Peru, Lewis Spence explores sacred stories recorded by Spanish conquerors and early chroniclers. The Mexican sections introduce Aztec gods of sun, war, rain and wind, with attention to Maya traditions too. Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, stands alongside accounts of earlier worlds that, according to Aztec belief, end in disaster.
The Peruvian sections turn to the Andes, where Inca traditions centre on Inti, the Sun, and the creator Viracocha. Spence follows these beliefs into sacred places and rituals, including the gold-rich Coricancha at Cuzco. His comparisons offer a first map of Aztec and Inca religion, though this 1913 study is not a guide to modern archaeology.
What you’ll discover
- Gods with many roles Meet Huitzilopochtli, war god and Aztec patron, within a crowded world of sacred powers.
- The feathered serpent Explore Quetzalcoatl, whose name brings together a green-feathered bird and a serpent.
- Worlds made and unmade Discover Aztec accounts of earlier ages, each with its own sun and disastrous ending.
- Viracocha and the Sun Enter Inca traditions of creation and the Sun whom rulers claim as father.
- Sacred places and rituals Visit the Coricancha through Spence’s account and explore how the Incas practise their religion.
Who will love it
For readers who love myth, gods and heroes from every corner of the world, and anyone curious about the Aztecs, the Maya and the Incas.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- American civilizations grew from native roots
- Tollan joins history to legend
- A marsh settlement becomes an empire
- The calendar carries fear and renewal
- People and gods exchange life
- Maya achievements outlast their understood words
- The twins face the underworld
- Inca order rests on sacred ground
- Myths preserve needs and memories
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The Myths of Mexico & Peru
by Lewis Spence · 1913
Feathered serpents, ball-playing heroes and golden temples fill Spence's tour of Mexico, Maya lands and Peru.
Challenging5–10 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What happens when two worlds collide, and one of them has been told it has no history? In 1913 Lewis Spence, a Scottish writer on myth, set out to answer that claim.
The Myths of Mexico & Peru at a glance
- Reading time
- About 6 h 45 min5 h 20 min fast, 8 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 96,500 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1913by Lewis Spence
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
American civilization grew from native roots alone
Spence opens with a firm claim. The civilizations of Mexico, Central America and Peru began among their own peoples. Many writers before him credited Asia, Egypt or Europe instead. He treats those theories as pleasant dreams that fall apart under close study.
His proof is practical. American art, writing, arithmetic and ways of keeping time look nothing like those of the Old World. Horses, cows and sheep were missing from America, and that absence points to ages of isolation.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1913
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Spence, Lewis. The Myths of Mexico & Peru. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-myths-of-mexico-peru.
Spence, L. (2026). The myths of Mexico & Peru. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-myths-of-mexico-peru (Original work published 1913)
Spence, Lewis. The Myths of Mexico & Peru. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-myths-of-mexico-peru.
@book{spence2026myths,
author = {Spence, Lewis},
title = {The Myths of Mexico \& Peru},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-myths-of-mexico-peru},
note = {First published 1913}
}
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What is The Myths of Mexico and Peru about?
It gathers the gods, legends, histories and ruins of the Aztecs and Toltecs, the Maya, and the Incas of Peru. Spence explains how each people lived and why their stories mattered, drawing on Spanish friars and native chroniclers.
Who are Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca?
Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, is a civilizing god-king of Tollan linked to wind, dawn and the morning star. Tezcatlipoca, Fiery Mirror, is a powerful god of night and fate who tricks him and drives him from the city.
What is the Popol Vuh?
It is the sacred book of the Kiche Maya of Guatemala. It tells of the making of humans, giants beaten by the twin heroes Hun-Apu and Xbalanque, the underworld ball game, and the journey of the first ancestors.
The author
Lewis Spence
1874–1955 · Scottish folklorist and occult writer
Lewis Spence (1874–1955) was a Scottish writer and journalist. He was born in Angus, Scotland, and lived in Edinburgh, where he died. His books on mythology and folklore appeared in the early twentieth century, including The Myths of Mexico and Peru, The Myths of the North American Indians, and Legends and Romances of Brittany.
More by Lewis Spence
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