About Gary Jenning's Aztec

[Mario Marquez]

He tenido la oportunidad de leer "Azteca" y "Otoño Azteca" de Gary
Jennings. Sin embargo he tenido oportunidad de leer también "El Viajero"
donde se narra la vida de Marco Polo en las tierras del Kan Kubilai.

Al menos estas obras de Jennings tienen una fuerte carga sobre
sexualidad mostrada de manera abierta, pero las obras no debería
juzgarse solo por esta características. El Escritor ha realizado un
esfuerzo notable en la recreación del mundo Mexica, -justo en el tiempo
de la llegada española- como tambien del periodo colonial - con el libro
de "Otoño Azteca"-

La investigación del escritor está avocada a lugares, idiomas,
costumbres, ritos, politica, sociedad, cultura. Es una obra, ésta de
"Azteca" muy completa y me parece que es recomendable para todo
interesado en la cultura Nahuatl.

Finalmente, solo puedo comentar que es FICCION. Han sido recurrentes
estas opiniones entre amigos que han leído el libro, y estan muy en
desacuerdo sobre la manera en que Gary da personalidad a cada Carácter.
Pero una vez más, es su PROPIA creación y versión.

Saludos,

Mario Marquez


-----Mensaje original-----
De: Nahua language and culture discussion
[mailto:NAHUAT-L at LISTS.UMN.EDU] En nombre de Archaeology Institute
Enviado el: Miércoles, 21 de Julio de 2004 09:24 p.m.
Para: NAHUAT-L at LISTS.UMN.EDU
Asunto: Re: Nahuatl Fiction / ficcion Nahuatl

Nahua language and culture discussion <NAHUAT-L at lists.umn.edu> writes:
>I second Frances' view. I actually read the whole thong as  well as
>several others by Jennings. What most appalled me was Jennings'
>distortion of the puritanical Aztecs to fit his formula writing-- sex
>in all combinations of  numbers, genders, and species-- he does the
>same thing to Marco Polo's China.

Dear Bernard Ortiz de Montellano,

        I think that the reality is that the most "puritanical" of
peoples are also capable of the most perverse acts where sex, morality,
and politics are concerned.  Despite the early "puritanical" bent of the
early colonial Americans, rape, pillage,
plunder, murder, mutilation, and a whole host of less than puritanical
acts and actions were inflicted on Native America, and other Americans
deemed worthy of the same.  My interest in Jennings does not center on
the question of sex, or any
puritanical leanings that any of us might hold dear, but rather with the
ability of Jennings to "create" the Mexica world from the shreds and
patches of so many works that often fall short.

Best Regards,

Ruben G. Mendoza, Ph.D., Director
Institute for Archaeological Science, Technology and Visualization
Social and Behavioral Sciences
California State University Monterey Bay
100 Campus Center
Seaside, California 93955-8001

Email: archaeology_institute at csumb..edu
Voice: 831-582-3760
Fax: 831-582-3566
http://archaeology.csumb.edu
http://archaeology.csumb.edu/wireless/





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