Daniel Garrison Brinton (1837-1899) was an American surgeon, historian, archaeologist and ethnologist. After graduating from Yale University in 1858, he studied at Jefferson Medical College for two years and spent the next year travelling in Europe. He continued his studies at Paris and Heidelberg. From 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, he was a surgeon in the Union Army. He became professor of Ethnology and Archaeology in the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia in 1884; and was professor of American linguistics and Archaeology in the University of Pennsylvania from 1886 until his death.

From 1868 to 1899, Brinton wrote many books, and a large number of pamphlets, brochures, addresses and magazine articles.

From Brinton's fundamental essay American Hero-Myths (which our publishing house has already republished in 2019), undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and complete work on the comparative mythology of the ancient American peoples, we have selected the study Quetzalcoatl: The Hero-God of the Aztec Tribes. We propose it to our readers today.