An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy

A comprehensive and accessible introduction to the philosophical traditions of the precolonial Mesoamerican peoples, including the Maya, Aztecs, and Mixtecs.

Alexus McLeod (Author)

9781009218771, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 3 August 2023

262 pages
25 x 17.7 x 1.8 cm, 0.526 kg

'This introduction to Mesoamerican philosophy … offers an entryway into old but often newly considered ways of understanding the world we live in. It is a welcomed addition to the field that bridges a gap in the scholarship and is a must read for anyone working or interested in Mesoamerican philosophy.' Randall Rodriguez, Radical Philosophy Review

The philosophy of Mesoamerica – the indigenous groups of precolonial North-Central America – is rich and varied but relatively little-known. In this ground-breaking book, Alexus McLeod introduces the philosophical traditions of the Maya, Nahua (Aztecs), Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and others, focussing in particular on their treatment of language, truth, time, creation, personhood, knowledge, and morality. His wide-ranging discussion includes important texts of world literature such as the K'iche Maya Popol Vuh and the Aztec Florentine Codex, as well as precolonial glyphic texts and imagery. This comprehensive and accessible book will give students, specialists and other interested readers an understanding of Mesoamerican philosophy and a sense of the current scholarship in the field.

Introduction
The Cultural and Historical Background
1. The Nature of Philosophy in Mesoamerica
2. The Nature of Language, Truth and Meaning
3. Time
4. Identity, Self and Personhood
5. Creation and the Gods
6. Being and Worlds
7. Knowledge, Seeing
8. Ethics
Conclusion – Mesoamerican Philosophy and the Contemporary World.

Subject Areas: Non-Western philosophy [HPD], Archaeological theory [HDA], History of the Americas [HBJK]