ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the longstanding myths and monsters in many Latinx subgroups. Latinx myths and monsters are characteristics of Latinx culture as much as food or history. Dia de los Muertos and the figure of the chupacabra have crossed over into the larger American consciousness, though they and other Latinx myths are often misconstrued or lampooned in the United States. Many Latinxs, and especially Mexican Americans, hold fast to the myth of Aztlan. Derived from the Nahuatl language, Aztlan refers to the homeland of the Aztecs from time immemorial. Aztlan brought together a culture that had been somewhat disjointed and dispersed, allowing it, for the first time, a framework within which to understand itself. Related to the myth of Aztlan is the mythical figure known as Quetzalcoatl, or the “feathered serpent.” He appears as a god in Aztec and Mayan mythology, and he is a key entity to the history and downfall of the Mesoamerican civilizations.
