The Aztecs

Rating:
Summary: Only for Historians
Review: As a returning adult student I feel this book was possibly the logical choice by the instructor but not a good one. 80% of the book focuses on politics, battle and hierarchy. Very little covers the daily life and true grit of the Aztecs who were not nobles, rulers or warriors. The writing was hard to follow due to elaborate usage of names for every imaginable ruler/God and Goddess in their civilization. I feel it was very dry and all in all it was written for persons with past knowledge of the subject matter. I previewed a National Geographic book on the Aztecs in order to parlay into this dry and lavish presentation on politics and battles. Unless you have to read it I dont recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Very Comprehensive
Review: Excellent history of all aspects of Aztec life. Very comprehensive, yet easy to read and comprehend.

Rating:
Summary: sixth sun rising
Review: first of all, the Aztecs were known as the Mexica.this book does not focus on their biggest achivements. The Mexica were well educated, clean, strong people. The Mexica were not savages at all. anyone who says so is ignorant to the true side of the Mexica that the europeans tried to cover up. I am of Aztec decent so do not call my people savages.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Gets a Little Better
Review: From the standpoint of an interested amateur, the first edition of Dr. Townsend's book "The Aztecs" was the best scholarly-but-general presentation of the Aztec civilization, culture, life, religion, art, and history available. The book was comprehensive and vastly informative but never -- thanks to excellent writing -- dull.

This new edition differs in several slight but important ways from its predecessor. Most of the first edition's numerous and helpful halftone illustrations are retained, but a few have been deleted and a few added (total of three more in the new edition). Changes in the text for the most part reflect recent archeologic and ethnohistoric findings; references are dated to 1999. The extent of changes is not, however, striking, and certainly does not render the first edition obsolete, merely out of date in some details.

As is inevitable in any text of this breadth, there are a few minor quibbles and changes that might be made in subsequent editions: for example, what stairway are those statues leaning against in Fig. 121? (answer: the Great Temple)

It remains that this is THE book to read if you are interested in the Aztecs; it forms a solid basis for all other reading in the field. Second best is Michael E. Smith's monograph with the same title, which is also recommended. Dr. Smith's work tends to emphasize the day-to-day life of the Aztec villagers and peasantry, whereas Dr. Townsend focuses more on the grand sweep of cities, nobility, and empire. I prefer the latter, but if I were teaching a course I'd assign both books.

Rating:
Summary: The Bloody Aztecs
Review: Lots of nice pictures of Aztec art but the writing is boring and there is not enuf archaeology. Try Smith's The Aztecs instead.

Rating:
Summary: The Bloody Aztecs
Review: The book was well writen as an historical source. It doesn't portray The Aztecs as an advanced civilized society but as the blood thirsty savages that they were. My perception of the Aztecs was greatly changed after reading this book. I was curious as to why they were considered (form the little I knew about them) an advanced civilization and found that they were ruthless cutthroats who raped the land and destroyed anyone who was not their allie. I always thought they were peaceloving and fair only to find that they were fierce warriors who only wanted to consume every civilization that they encountered and enslave anyone who had something to offer.

The author worked hard to show how their difficult beginning lent itself to their horrifying sacrifices, far reaching conquests and ruthless tribute taking. No wonder the Spanish felt justified in killing them all and taking their gold and land.

Regretfully, there was not much information available about the common Aztec. It may have been an eyeopener as well. But from what I understand, it is difficult to gather information on commoners because all the writings and hierglyphs were constructed by, and therefore, glorified the royals (or more correctly, their slaves and workers did the work while the royals meted out the orders and leached the materials from their conquests). This is not unusual is civilizations where the commoners did not have the means to preserve their place in history.

This is a stunning account and it is not hard to read. Recommended for an acurate protrayal of these people and their enemies and conquests.

Rating:
Summary: another aztec book written by some american author
Review: This book deserves no stars but I had to put one so that my review could go through.just by looking at the authors name and reading some of the reviews, I realized it's just another bored american author who tries to write about a culture that is nothing similar to american culture so they confuse the both. So everybody who reads this book thinks that the aztecs were so religious and superficial, who sacrificed people so that the sun god will rise. As a mexican myself it's just all wrong. A misunderstanding by the spaniards who masacred these ppl just for their land and gold. The best books written by aztec are written by only a few mexican researchers and archeologists. But then again americans believe this garbage, consider the aztecs primitive when the aztecs were as great or greater than the romans, greeks, and egyptians. I wonder how these blood thirsty, sacrificing savages were able to build such a sophisticated and detailed calender which they depended their everyday life on and those pyramids as big as egypts. wow what a bunch of dumb savages huh? 95% , 85 million of these ppl were masacred in cold blood by the savage, chatholic spaniards in the name of god, only for land and gold which gave and give europeans their wealth till this day. So screw this book and many other books who misterpret and fasely make up facts about the aztecs.