Nahuatl Theater Death and Life in Colonial Nahua Mexico

Death and Life in Colonial Nahua Mexicopresents seven dramas from the first truly American theater. Composed in Nahuatl during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, most of these plays survive only in later copies. Five are morality plays. Presenting Christian views of moral reform, death, judgment, and punishment for sin, they reveal how these themes were adapted into Nahua culture. The other two plays dramatize biblical narratives: the stories of Abraham and Isaac and of the three wise men. In this volume, Barry D. Sell and Louise M. Burkhart offer faithful transcriptions of the Nahuatl as well as new English translations of these remarkable dramas. Accompanying the plays are four interpretive essays and a foreword that broaden our understanding of these rare works. This volume is the first in a four-volume set entitledNahuatl Theater , edited by Barry D. Sell and Louise M. BurkhartSell, Barry D. is the author of 'Nahuatl Theater Death and Life in Colonial Nahua Mexico', published 2004 under ISBN 9780806136332 and ISBN 0806136332.