Pacific And American Mythologies

Olympic games, Mexico, issued by State of Upper Yaffa on October 5, 1967. Stamps show Aztec art related to Aztec mythology:

Statue of Coatlicue displayed in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City:
Coatlicue ("skirt of snakes"), also known as Teteoh innan ("mother of the gods"), is the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars, and Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war.

This stamp description is "Coatlicue", but I am not sure it is correct.

In Aztec mythology, the Coyote is related with music, dance, mischief, and songs:

Two stamps I have no information about the figures:

A Mexican stamp depicting Coatlicue:




In the Upper Yaffa stamps upstream, I think they have "human figure" and "Coatlicue" switched.

Gate of the Sun - Bolivia

The Gate of the Sun is a megalithic solid one piece stone arch or gateway constructed by the ancient Tiwanaku culture of Bolivia over 1500 years ago. The engravings that decorate the gate are believed to possess astronomical and/or astrological significance and may have served a calendrical purpose.
The lintel is carved with 48 squares surrounding a central figure. Each square represents a character in the form of winged effigy. All look to the central figure, whose identity remains an enigma. It is a figure of a man with the head surrounded by 24 linear rays that may represent rays of solar light. The styled staffs held by the figure apparently symbolize thunder and lightning. Some believe that the central figure represents the Sun god judging by the rays emitted from its head, while others have identified it with the Inca god Viracocha, the great creator god in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South America.

In 1960, Bolivia issued a set of 18 gold embossed stamps depicting carved characters from the Sun gate. Here are four of them:

Mayan Mythology - Popol Vuh

Popol Vuh, "Book of the People", is corpus of mytho-historical narratives of the Quiche Mayan Kingdom in Guatemala. Popol Vuh encompasses four parts: Part one deals with the creation of living beings. The first humans made of mud and the second humans made from wood. Both groups of humans were disappeared. Part two deals with the lineage of principal figures and the origin of the hero twins Hun Ahpú and Xbalanqué, the ancestors to the Maya ruling lineages. It also deals with rediscovery of ball game and defeat of the lords of Xibalbá. Part three deals with creation of humans, migration, and first dawn. The first dawn appears, dries out the land, and turns original animals to stone. Distinct languages evolve. Part four deals with the Quiche travel into the mountains and states the lineages of several tribal rulers leading up to the Spanish conquest.

A set of 24 stamps, depicting scenes from Popol Vuh, was issued by Guatemala during year 1981. Here are five of them:

Creation of the World:

Population of the Earth:

Creation of Humans from Wood:

Creation of Humans from Maize:

The Greatness of the Quiche:

Here is the complete set:

Aztec Mythology

Several international sport events were held in Mexico in the last decades. Many countries issued stamps to publicize the events and show figure from Aztec culture and mythology. Here is one from Monaco shows Football World Cup, Mexico 1986, designed end engraved by Georges Bétemps and issued on May 22, 1986. Note the Aztec figure on the background of each stamp:

Mayan mythology - the Howler monkey

Among the Classic Mayas, the howler monkey god was a major deity of the arts and music and a patron of the artisans, especially of the scribes and sculptors. Two monkey patron statues are depicted in the house of scribes, Copan temple, Honduras. These statues may actually represent howler monkeys in their quality of musicians.

Howler monkey god statue, Copan temple, issued by Honduras on March 1, 1978:

Photo from Copan Ruinas, Honduras by Adalberto Hernandez:

The above Honduras stamp was issued in a set of four. Here are the rest stamps:

god of the Sun:

Mythical creatures, issued by Canada on 1 October 1990:

Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a large and hairy human-like mythical creature purported to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest:

The Kraken is a legendary sea monster of enormous size said to appear in the sea between Norway and Greenland:

The Loup-Garou ("Wolf-man"), a legendary creature in Laurentian French communities linked to European notions of the werewolf, individual who can shape-shift into a wolf either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction:

the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada:

Maori mythology stamps - Tikis

Tiki in Polynesia is a figure represented by a human figure with marked traits: big eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. In Maori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tumatauenga, the primary god of war and human activities or by Tane, god of forests and of birds. Tiki found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. When she is born, the first clouds appear in the sky.

Tikis in Marquesas Islands, issued by French Polynesia on February 8, 1984:



French Polynesia, 1984:

Tiki, issued by the Pitcairn Islands on May 3, 1971:

In Hawaii, the Tiki is called Ki'i. Here is one from Pu#699;uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park in City of Refuge, Hawaii, issued by the USA on May 3, 1972 and a photo of the couple of ki'i, regarded as protectors:

Olympic games, Mexico, issued by Czechoslovakia on April 30, 1968. Stamps show Aztec art related to Aztec mythology:

Polynesian mythology, , issued for use in French Polynesia on September 26, 1989:

Here is a set of maxicards with the same design as on the stamps. The designs on the cards are embossed, which give the feeling of wood carving.

The legend of Maui:
Maui is a deity in many different Polynesian mythologies of the pacific. One of the most common stories of Maui found throughout Polynesia is related to how he pulled up islands from the ocean floor. Here is Maui fishing the islands of Polynesia from the sea:

The legend of the pierced mountain:
Moua Puta, which means "pierced mountain", was named after the legend of the warrior Hiro who allegedly pierced the mountain with his spear:

The legend of Hina:
Hina is the name assigned to a number of Polynesian deities. The name Hina usually relates to a powerful female force (typically a goddess or queen) who has dominion over a specific entity.

This Mexico 10 Pesos coin features the Aztec Sun Stone (Piedra del Sol), created in the late 15th century by the Aztec civilization. The central face represents the sun god Tonatiuh, surrounded by symbols of cosmic eras and cyclical time. Discovered in 1790 in Mexico City's main square near the ruins of Tenochtitlan, it had likely been buried after the Spanish conquest to suppress Indigenous religion. Today it is displayed in the National Museum of Anthropology, and its image on the coin symbolizes Mexico's pride in its pre-Hispanic heritage.

Inca Mythology
Gate of the Sun - Spain

The Gate of the Sun is a monumental one-piece stone gateway built by the ancient Tiwanaku culture in present-day Bolivia over 1,500 years ago. Its intricate carvings, thought to have astronomical or calendrical significance, depict 48 winged figures surrounding a mysterious central figure with radiating rays, often interpreted as the Sun god or the Andean creator god Viracocha, holding staffs that may symbolize thunder and lightning.

The Gate of the Sun (left), issued by Spain on October 3, 1980 to publicize the ESPAMER stamp exhibition. (the second structure is the Roman arch in Medinaceli, Spain)

Issued in SS contains four stamps. Since the stamp exhibition was held by Spain and American countries, each stamp shows two elements, one Spanish and the second from America.

In traditional Inuit belief, the natural and supernatural worlds were closely connected, and spiritual forces could be present in animals, natural phenomena, objects, and human life; shamans played an important role in communicating with this unseen world and maintaining harmony between people, animals, and spirits.

"Inuit – Spirits", works by Inuit artists, issued by Canada on September 25, 1980.

Shaman – A print by Simon Tookoome, depicting a shaman surrounded by spirit figures, symbolizing his role as an intermediary between the human and supernatural worlds.

Return of the Sun – A print by Kenojuak Ashevak, showing birds and human figures gathered around the returning sun, evoking the renewal of light after the long Arctic winter.

Sedna – A sculpture by Kiawak Ashoona, representing Sedna, the powerful sea spirit associated with marine animals and hunting in Inuit tradition.

Bird Spirit – A sculpture by Doris Hagiolok, depicting a human-bird spirit figure, reflecting the Inuit belief in close spiritual relationships between humans, animals, and the natural world.

Xochipilli, the Aztec god of dance, music, song, flowers, pleasure and the arts, represented by a famous sculpture in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, issued by Mexico on December 26, 1977.

The stamp is one in the set "Art and Science of Mexico – Pre-Hispanic Dances". The other stamps are not related to mythology and show: Maya Dancer from Jaina, Snake dance and Totonac dancer.