Synopsis
Enhanced with fullcolor illustrations, this Aztec tale tells of the magical relationship and marriage of the son of the sun god and the daughter of the moon goddess, a story which echoes the Biblical legend of Adam and Eve.
Reviews
Grade 3-6-An accessible retelling of a Mexican legend. Ixco?auqui, son of the god Tonatiuh disobeys his father and leaves their celestial home. Outside the palace walls, he meets Coyolxauhqui and falls in love. Tonatiuh is furious with his son but will allow him to marry on one condition: the lovers must agree never to leave the heavens. When Ixco?auqui disobeys his father for the second time, the couple is sent to Earth to live as mortals. Here Coyolxauhqui becomes ill and dies. In their sorrow, the gods transform the lovers into the mountains Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl so they may rest side by side for eternity. Fisher's double-page, richly textured acrylic paintings in lush greens, golds, blues, and purples depict otherworldly and earthly landscapes. His figures are monumental, appropriately so given their fate, and add to the timeless quality of the telling. This beautifully illustrated story will be enjoyed by folklore readers and enhance studies of Aztec culture.
Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The team behind The Three Princes and The Spotted Pony offers a competent reworking of this tale explaining the formation of two mountains overlooking the Valley of Mexico. When Ixco?auqui, son of the sun god, defies his father's order not to venture beyond the garden wall, he meets and falls in love with Coyolxauhqui, daughter of the moon goddess. The other gods agree to their marriage, yet the disapproving sun god will bless the union only if the couple vows never to leave the heavens; if they break the vow, they will lose their immortality. As in the Garden of Eden, the lovers' curiosity causes them to transgress, and they are banished from the heavens. Later, when Coyolxauhqui becomes gravely ill, her husband carries her to a mountaintop, promising never to leave her side. The gods then "transformed the two young lovers into two mountains." Fisher's acrylic paintings range from austere, boldly hued portraits of the warriorlike celestial residents to verdant landscapes of both heaven and earth. Youngsters are likely to find the connection between the story and the geological formations intriguing, and its parallels with Adam and Eve may make for some lively discussion. A pronunciation guide appears at tale's end. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
With Adam and Eve^-like overtones, this picture book for older readers tells the Aztec legend of Ixcocauqui, the son of the sun god, who is forbidden to go beyond the garden wall. Curiosity, of course, gets the best of him, and he meets the daughter of the moon, Coyolxauhqui. They fall in love, but the sun god will allow their marriage only if the lovers agree never to visit earth. The husband and wife break their vow, and they are sent to live on earth forever. Their life is difficult, but not without the pleasures of learning, acquiring skills, and dancing and singing together. When Coyolxauhqui grows ill and dies, the gods transform the two young lovers into mountains overlooking the Valley of Mexico. This is a companion to Kimmel's Montezuma and the Fall of the Aztecs. Leonard Everett Fisher's illustrations, as always, have definition and strength, but here they are also brillantly colored. The reds and greens are remarkably pure, but it is the gold that adorns everything--from a headdress to a bracelet to a wall of gold--that is so realistic and vibrant that readers will want to reach out and touch. A well-told, interesting addition to folklore shelves. Ilene Cooper
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