What question did this study set out to answer?

This article aims to explore how the nineteenth-century epistemological turn changed interpretations of ancient writings and monuments in New World civilizations.

April 15, 2026Open Access

Making Mayan Myths: Fragments of New World Civilizations and the Epistemological Turn by José Luis Escalona Victoria, Ciudad de México

Key Points

This article aims to explore how the nineteenth-century epistemological turn changed interpretations of ancient writings and monuments in New World civilizations.
Analyzing historical texts and archives in Europe and America
Examining the relationship between language and mythology
Investigating archaeological findings of ruined monuments in Mexico and Central America
Identified shifts in the interpretation of ancient writings
Noted changes in perceptions of mythology related to ancient civilizations
Highlighted the impact of the epistemological turn on scientific fields and cultural understanding

Abstract

The nineteenth century interest in the exotic spread along new scientific fields, as an epistemological turn, a radical change in people’s interpretation of the spatiotemporal order of things. This article outlines some changes in perceptions of ancient writings preserved in archives in Europe and America, the spoken languages and the ruined monuments buried under the jungle in Mexico and Central America, under the early interpretations focused on mythology.

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José Luis Escalona Victoria

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IBERO-AMERICANA PRAGENSIA

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Making Mayan Myths: Fragments of New World Civilizations and the Epistemological Turn by José Luis Escalona Victoria, Ciudad de México

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Abstract

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