From a small island in a lake to the greatest city in the Americas, and the siege that ended it: the complete story of the Mexica in one illustrated volume.
"Aztec" is the name the modern world gave them. They called themselves Mexica, and from their island capital of Tenochtitlan they and their allies in Texcoco and Tlacopan built the Triple Alliance, a tribute empire that stretched across central and southern Mexico. AZTEC follows the story from the long migration and the founding of the city in 1325 through the rulers from Acamapichtli to Moctezuma II, the break with Azcapotzalco, the wars, the flower wars and the rivals who never submitted, to the arrival of Hernan Cortes and the fall of the city in 1521.
This is also a book about how people lived. Separate chapters explain the royal house and its marriages, courts and schools, painted books and calendars, chinampa farming, the great market of Tlatelolco, warrior societies, healers and midwives, causeways and aqueducts, and the layout of Tenochtitlan itself, with the Templo Mayor at its heart. More than 250 illustrations show homes, kitchens, canoes, markets, construction, weapons and temples, along with maps and portrait reconstructions.
Every chapter ends with The Historian's Verdict, a clear look at what the evidence proves, what it suggests and what remains unknown, with careful attention to the difference between Mexica sources, Spanish chronicles and later accounts. Three Cultural Interludes explore the ballgame, the poetry of the Nahuatl world and the feather and jade artisans. Appendices include rulers of the Triple Alliance, a timeline, gods and festivals, peoples and places, a cast of characters, a glossary and a guide to further reading.
If you enjoyed SPQR, HELLAS, EGYPT, KNIGHTS and AMERICA, AZTEC continues the series.
