Aztec and Hawaiian religions both claim a world existed before this one. How much contact was there between the two cultures, and are there any other religions which mention this concept?

by bipocni
Yawarpoma

I am not sure I understand what you are asking. Are you asking if the Mexica influenced the Pacific Island cultures or vice versa?

First, there is no evidence that the Mexica State ever sailed west into the Pacific. They had access to the Gulf and connections to trade networks in the Caribbean, but there would have been little need to do anything more than navigate the Pacific coast of Mesoamerica. While the anthropologist Thor Hyerdahl attempted to demonstrate the possibility of a Transpacific Mexica world, there is no evidence.

Second, many cultures have mythologies that talk about a before time. The Maya, for example believed that we are currently in the 4th iteration of a creation event. The prior events failed, from the perspective of the creator gods. However, just because the Maya had a notion of a period of time that existed before this creation of time that does not mean that they are connected to other cultures that share that concept in their own culture.

You can see Hyerdahl's Kon-Tiki, Knowlton's Maya Creation Myths, Christenson's Popul Vuh for more information.

PenguinSunday

What do you mean by that? That there were advanced civilizations before ours (err, theirs)? That they were conquered before? Aliens?