It is not the purpose of this chapter to deal with the present-day oral literatures of Mesoamerican languages. They naturally exist, and a considerable body of texts has been published to which reference will be made in the suggested readings. In many groups, especially Mayan ones, these oral traditions have preserved, although in a transformed way, many elements of pre-Hispanic origin; in other groups, these elements are few and have been replaced by traditions in which postconquest or directly Hispanic elements predominate. Studies of these works from a linguistic point of view are, however, almost entirely lacking.

We will be concerned, instead, with literary manifestations of preconquest origin. Again there is almost a total absence of such studies from a linguistic point of view, and even from a literary viewpoint the pertinent studies are meagre. But these old literary works are extremely important as a characteristic which otherwise does not recur or at least was insufficiently recorded in other Amerindian groups. As will be discussed in the next chapter, Mesoamerica reached the stage of cultural complexity known as civilization, and, as is to be expected, this was reflected in the development of more elaborate literary works than may be found in simpler societies. Consequently the present chapter aims to give only an idea of the extent and variety of materials available as a potential field of study.