Animal Myth and Magic explores the central place and significance of animals in the Andean cosmovision through the prism of South American archaeology, anthropology, natural history and mythology. Illustrated with 155 marvelous images from pre-Columbian textiles, this unique anthology discusses over forty-five species, from the hummingbird and butterfly to the llama and jaguar. The depictions—from surreal to naturalistic, awe-provoking to whimsical, abstract to totemic—span a diversity of habitats and 2000 years of culture (Chavín to Inka).

Key themes emerge: the feline, bird and snake shamanic archetypes; a fascination with magical transformation; a preoccupation with water and fertility in the arid, fragile ecologies of the desert and high sierra; and an intricate visual code based on the signs of the fang, claw, spotted pelt, whisker and wing.

This compelling information, and the extraordinary inventiveness and variety of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and insects represented in the textile art, provide an outstanding source of reference for all readers intrigued by animal symbolism, Native American art, and the vitality and creativity of the pre-Columbian imagination.

• hardcover ISBN – 0-9767774-0-1
• published by OLOLO Press
• written by Vanessa Drake Moraga
• format: clothbound with dustjacket
• dimensions: 9.75” x 12.25”
• 164 page plus cover / 155 color plates and 10 line drawings
• publication year: 2005
• hardcover: out of stock
• order number: hardcover: FAP-107-H