Open AccessTHE SEARCH FOR THE PAST: THE ROLE OF AZTEC MYTHOLOGY IN LA REGIÓN MÁS TRANSPARENTE
Author(s) -
Shirley A. Williams
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
estudos ibero-americanos/estudos ibero-americanos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.124
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1980-864X
pISSN - 0101-4064
DOI - 10.15448/1980-864x.1976.1.36209
Subject(s) - mythology , epic , art , humanities , indigenous , history , literature , ecology , biology
Carlos Fuentes' use of Aztec mythology in La región más transparente has a far more important function than simply creating an exotic and uniquely Mexican atmosphere for his national epic. Fuentes' use of indigenous mythology and symbolism, especially his novelistic transforrnation of the Aztec fire rites, is intimately related to the development of one of the novel's central themes - the rise and fall of Federico Robles. Only through understanding the significance of the Aztec fire rites can the reader fully understand Robles' destruction and subsequent rebirth. SAW