Tim object of this book is to prove that the
cultures of ancient Mexico and Central America were offshoots from the civilization of Atlantis. The belief in Atlantis is one that no scientific attacks could kill, and now that Mr. Spence has given it the sober support of his Atlantis in America, the lover of its seaweed-covered civilization may well advance more boldly and look for its vestiges in lands still unsub- merged. With the aid of history, myth, folk-lore and ethnology Mr. Spence makes out a fascinating case for his contention. He suggests that the last remnant of Atlantis, the island of Antillia, was submerged about A.D. 200, and that after its disappearance the Maya, an Antillian race, arrived in America. Particularly interesting is the chapter dealing with Quetzacoatl, the heaven-sent chief of the Toltecs. We find in the Toltec folk-lore references not only to the Flood legend (this we shoidd naturally- expect), but also to the Tower of Babel, which Votan (a local name for Quetzacoatl) is said to have seen on one of his visits to his original home. Interesting, too, are the correspondences between the Greek goddess Cleito and the Mexican Coatalicue, and between Uitzil and Atlas. Whatever may be thought of Mr. Spence's main thesis, he has at any rate made a suggestive contribution to comparative mythology.
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