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A review by mat_tobin
Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth by Duncan Tonatiuh
5.0
A Mesoamerican creation myth which tells the story of how humans were born into the world, the Feathered Serpent is a beautiful, respectful and as-authentic-as-are-probably-going-to-get retelling of the ancient traditional tale.
The picturebook opens with the four sun gods (tonatiuhs) trying various ways of creating humans with different materials, from mud and scared bones to corn paste but to no success. All the gods abandon the mission except for Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent, who seeks to retrieve the sacred bones bestowed to Mictlantecuhtli, the god of the underworld. In his descent into Mictlán, Quetzalcóatl, with his staff, cloak, shield, shell and canine spirit guide, Xólotl, must overcome various obstacles using his wit and magical items until he reaches his destination.
Utterly beautiful in terms of presentation, this is a Mesoamerican myth brought to life like no other. Stylistically, Tonatiuh honours the motifs and icons of his ancestors without ever feeling gimmicky or tokenistic; these are rich in cartoon-like life and powered by traditional symbols and colour. The narrative itself is well pitched and reads like a myth too - sparse in the details and taking us through the actions and reflections.
The picturebook closes with an extensive author's note, glossary and useful selected bibliography which shows the care and time Tonatiuh put into ensuring his story was as close to the sources as possible.
The picturebook opens with the four sun gods (tonatiuhs) trying various ways of creating humans with different materials, from mud and scared bones to corn paste but to no success. All the gods abandon the mission except for Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent, who seeks to retrieve the sacred bones bestowed to Mictlantecuhtli, the god of the underworld. In his descent into Mictlán, Quetzalcóatl, with his staff, cloak, shield, shell and canine spirit guide, Xólotl, must overcome various obstacles using his wit and magical items until he reaches his destination.
Utterly beautiful in terms of presentation, this is a Mesoamerican myth brought to life like no other. Stylistically, Tonatiuh honours the motifs and icons of his ancestors without ever feeling gimmicky or tokenistic; these are rich in cartoon-like life and powered by traditional symbols and colour. The narrative itself is well pitched and reads like a myth too - sparse in the details and taking us through the actions and reflections.
The picturebook closes with an extensive author's note, glossary and useful selected bibliography which shows the care and time Tonatiuh put into ensuring his story was as close to the sources as possible.