The Corn Woman: Stories and Legends of the Hispanic Southwest

By Angel Vigil

Book Overview

The culture, history, and spirit of the Hispanic Southwest are brought to readers through this fascinating collection of 45 cuentos (stories and legends) from the region. From ancient creation myths of the Aztecs and traditional tales of Spanish colonialists to an eclectic sampling of the work of modern Latino storytellers, this book provides a rich tapestry of both obscure and well-loved stories-religious stories; animal tales; stories of magic, transformation, and wisdom; and chistes (short comic tales). Fifteen tales are also presented in Spanish. The origin and historical development of the stories are examined in an introductory chapter. A discussion of dichos (proverbs) and adivinanzas (riddles) illuminates the larger context of the oral tradition in which the tales have flourished. Lavishly illustrated with pictures of original paintings and sculpture by contemporary Latino artists, this fascinating collection will appeal to children and adults alike and is a must for the multicultural class

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1563081946
• ISBN13: 9781563081941
• Release Date: September 1994
• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Length: 234 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.3" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 5 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 12

Customer Reviews

The Corn Woman for classroom use

This collection of folk literature is valuable for anyone teaching bilingual Spanish/English literature. It is also very useful for teachers of Spanish language, anthropology , children's literature, and folklore. I am using it in a college level writing class. Stories are printed in both Spanish and English. They are short and well-written, retaining the flavor of the original in the translation.