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The Gods Of Mexico Summary

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The Gods of Mexico by C. A. Burland is a historical analysis of the religion of ancient Mexico that provides an alternate informative viewpoint on the overall history of the Mexican civilization. Burland provides a concise history of the Mexican people groups in the first few chapters, beginning from the earliest peoples of more than 20,000 years ago to the rise of the Aztecs in the 1300s. The Mayans are briefly mentioned to illustrate the important background of primary social system common to the whole of Meso-America: communities were established for worship rather than for secular life. The Aztecs were the main focus of the dissection of the Mexican religious culture, as Burland expounded upon the ancient gods and the various individuals of spiritual importance in their community. These individuals covered a vast range of classes, such as the emperor, who was seen as a mediator between heaven and earth, the medicine women, who could see and interpret visions, and the temple worshippers who were trained from infanthood. Festivals, calendrical system, astronomy, medicine, and the organization of the state were all closely tied to the worship of the gods. Later chapters contained the analysis of the complex and advanced dating system of the Aztecs and …show more content…

He provides careful detail from the mentioned reputable sources to assert his analysis on a scholarly level. In consequence, Burland only indirectly shares his personal opinion on the subject matter throughout the book and only truly voices his point of view at the very end of the book to allow readers time to formulate a conclusion for themselves. His interpretations of the facts seem to be fairly convincing as they support his purpose with reliable evidence, and in effect he successfully persuades readers to accept his point of

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