Secrets of the Talking Jaguar: A Mayan Shaman's Journey to the Heart of the Indigenous Soul

Prechtel, Martin

ISBN 10: 0874779006 / ISBN 13: 9780874779004

Published by Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1998

About this Item

6.25 X 9.25 inches. 284 pages. Book and unclipped DJ are in near fine condition. DJ in mylar protection. There is a two page inscription by the author on title page, and page preceding the title page, along with a couple of line drawings dated Sept. 11, 2006.

Seller Inventory # 2212164shelfA-off

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Secrets of the Talking Jaguar: A Mayan Shaman's Journey to the Heart of the Indigenous Soul
• Publisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0874779006
• ISBN 13: 9780874779004
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Biography

About this title

Synopsis

A shaman and leader of the so-called men's movement offers a rare glimpse into the complex, joyful culture of contemporary Mayan village life and spirituality, expounding its teaching that all humans possess an innate spirit of generosity and community.

Reviews

As late as the 1970s, among the Tzutujil Indians of Santiago Atitlan, in Guatemala, there was no word for "time," and the concept closest to the verb "to be" was the state of "belonging to"?in this case, to their village, which these descendants of ancient Mayans believed was the center of the universe. At the core of their philosophy was a rejection of progress?everything of importance had happened in the past. Their religion, which relied on communion with animal and plant spirits to understand daily existence, appealed deeply to Prechtel, a half Native American who grew up on a Pueblo reservation near Santa Fe: "The new aromas, the new sounds, things that I'd never seen before, spun me into a trance, amplifying my already well-established erotic relationship with the landscape, my verdant quest to find a way to merge and mate with the spirit of the world." In his engaging first book, Prechtel describes his apprenticeship to Nicolas Chiviliu Tacaxoy, a shaman who taught him healing and divination skills, and his 13 years living as a Tzutujil. While his view seems at times romanticized, the picture he creates of idyllic Indian life?of the Indians' well-being, colorful rituals and rapport with nature?is so beautifully drawn that his delight in their culture becomes contagious, as does his grief when civil war creates havoc in their village.
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