Les au-delàs aztèques

A sixteenth century Aztec text sends out a clear message that death did not signify the end, but symbolised the transportation to another world. Nathalie Ragot traces the origins of this concept of the `other world', beginning with texts and iconographic evidence dating from the 12th century to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Her study includes an assessment of death, burial, grave goods, funerary ritual and myths surrounding the deceased within central Mexico, later comparing it to belief systems in other South American cultures including the Maya.