The Aztecs

by Michael E. Smith

The Aztecs, by Michael E. Smith. 2nd edition. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, UK (2003). ISBN: 0-631-23016-5. Series: "The Peoples of America." ($25.95)

This book, written by a leading Aztec specialist, is the first work to describe the results of recent archaeological excavations at Aztec sites.The new 2nd edition updates the text and adds new information on specific archaeological sites. The Aztecs replaces past emphases on temples, tombs, and nobles, with a view of the everyday life of the Aztec people. The reader is taken into Aztec homes and villages to learn about all aspects of this fascinating civilization. Using his first-hand knowledge of Aztec sites, artifacts, and historical documents, Smith explains the Aztecs' rapid ascent to power, their bustling economy and powerful empire, the lives of nobles and peasants, and the distinctive realms of Aztec religion, science, and thought. The book also includes an account of the Spanish conquest and its effects on the Aztec people, and ends with a description of the Aztecs' descendants in Mexican Indian villages today.

Drawing on current research by archaeologists and ethnohistorians, The Aztecs describes important new findings on topics such as women's roles, farming methods, domestic crafts, urban planning, and household ritual. The Aztecs is a readable and comprehensive treatment of this exotic yet very human civilization as it flourished on the eve of the Spanish conquest.

Table of contents of The Aztecs:

1. The Aztecs of Mesoamerica	8. Cities and Urban Planning
2. The Rise of Aztec Civilization	9. Creation, Death & the Gods
3. People on the Landscape	10. Temples and Ceremonies
4. Artisans and their Goods	11. Science and Art
5. The Commercial Economy	12. Final Glory, Conquest, and Legacy
6. Family and Social Class	Notes and References
7. City-State and Empire	Index

To see a detailed contents listing with all subheadings, CLICK HERE .

Student bibliography on the Aztecs

The author, Dr. Michael E. Smith, is Professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizons State University. mesmith9@asu.edu.

Information about some of Dr. Smith's fieldwork at Aztec sites described in The Aztecs can be found at the following web sites:

Excavations at Yautepec, an Aztec city.

Excavations at Rural Aztec Sites

For More Information:
Detailed Table of Contents of THE AZTECS || Tlahuica Culture Home Page
Michael E. Smith's Home Page || Other Books and Articles ||

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