Quetzalcoatl and the irony of empire : myths and prophecies in the Aztec tradition
Davíd Carrasco (Author)
"Carrasco utilizes the perspectives of the history of religions, anthropology, and urban geography to explore the nature of the complex symbolic form of Quetzalcoatl in the organization, legitimation, and--ultimately--subversion of a large segment of the Mexican urban tradition. One of the most original contributions of his study is the use of the concepts of center and periphery to illuminate the complexities of the history of Mesoamerican religion. Expanding on the notion of the theory of the central place and the symbolism of the center, he draws attention to the powers of peripheral communities in the empires of Mesoamerica. He shows how the great shrines of Quetzalcoatl and the ceremonial centers they organized generated enormous centripetal and centrifugal forces that extended imperial frontiers to dangerous dimensions." -- Back cover
Print Book, English, 1982
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1982