Product Description
Modern peoples have always been fascinated with the iconic architecture, mystical religious beliefs, and once-thriving societies of the ancient Aztecs. From the fertile areas of the Oaxaca Valley and the Valley of Mexico to the great deserts of the north, this authoritative resource explores the development of the ancient civilizations of the Aztecs and their predecessors. Organized chronologically, it describes the native cultures, from the earliest farming villages to the establishment of great states and urban civilizations such as Teotihuacan and Monte Alban. By investigating the connections between these civilizations and the more obscure civilizations of northern Mexico, it offers readers insight into the birth of new cultures such as the Toltec Empire. An engagingly written, thoroughly researched text and superb photography explore, in-depth, such topics as the Aztec calendar, religion, society, and political organization, providing fresh insight into the rich cultural and artistic heritage of the Aztecs. ... Read more

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Ancient Egypt\nStudents learn about the people, places and issues of the world's past through the multicurricular activities in language arts, social studies, science, math, and the arts. Each book contains 27 topics grouped into three units. Except as not ... Read more

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This book unveils the lost world of the Aztec, Maya and many other peoples found by the European conquistadors. ... Read more

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Have you ever wondered what life was really like for the Aztecs?What did people wear?What did they eat?What sorts of games did kids play?Through history, recipes, crafts, activities, and games this series gives you a chance to experience what life was like throughout history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nice oversize catalog of Mesoamerican art and culture, with problems: 3.7 stars
This oversize coffee-table book has beautifully reproduced, well-chosen photographs, but significant drawbacks.

Pluses:
* Excellent photos of iconic objects
* Good cross-section of prehispanic Mesoamerican artwork/artifacts
* Nice feature articles on many major archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras

Neutral:
* Average-quality text (translated from Italian)

Negatives:
* No decent overall map of the area
* Maps of cultures are so general as to be almost useless

So, this shouldn't be your only guide to prehispanic Mesoamerican history. But the high quality of the photos makes it worthwhile if you find an inexpensive copy. Search on the title, as Amazon usually has used copies in more than one file. More copies & reviews here: Ancient Mexico: The History and Culture of the Maya, Aztects and Other Pre-Columbian Peoples

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Nice oversize catalog of Mesoamerican art and culture, with problems: 3.7 stars
This oversize coffee-table book has beautifully reproduced, well-chosen photographs, but significant drawbacks.

Pluses:
* Excellent photos of iconic objects
* Good cross-section of prehispanic Mesoamerican artwork/artifacts
* Nice feature articles on many major archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras

Neutral:
* Average-quality text (translated from Italian)

Negatives:
* No decent overall map of the area
* Maps of cultures are so general as to be almost useless

So, this shouldn't be your only guide to prehispanic Mesoamerican history. But the high quality of the photos makes it worthwhile if you find an inexpensive copy. I haven't seen the recent B&N reprint.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman

An exhaustive pictoral tour of the areas mesoamerican ruins
BEAUTIFUL enormous glossy full-color photos that do more justice to the Mexican ruins than any other book I have EVER SEEN!!I love this book SO MUCH that, since I couldn't afford to BUY it, I went in to the bookstore about once every month or 2 for a YEAR AND A HALF to visit it, pore over it and covet it until a friend took pity on me and bought it for me as a gift!I have BEEN to several of the ruins pictured here, and they are MASTERFULLY captured in the photographs.The author even includes some of the little, lesser-known sites, such as Dzibilchaltun, especially dear to me as my Mexican host family took me there on a family day outing!!This book is just AWESOME!!!

A gorgeous book of ancient cultures
This book is packed with information and color photographs of the ancient cultures of Mexico, from the Olmecs to the Zapotecs to the Mayas to the Aztecs. The author even includes sections on the lesser known and understood cultures of Western Mexico.With a fold-out time line and detailed maps of the most famous archaeological sites, this book gives a good overview of the history of these cultures - and then hones in on specifics such as dress, burial customs, religion, war, and games.Extensive attention is also given to the major cities representing these peoples.With color photographs on nearly every page, this is a gorgeous addition to any library. As a reference book, or even as a coffee table book to browse through occasionally, ANCIENT MEXICO can't be beat.

Not for archaeology buffs only!
This book takes the reader thorough the history of pre-columbian mesoamerica, the daily life of the people and then tours a number of important archaeological sites in Mexico and nearby countries.It includes wonderful photos of amazing artifacts decorative pieces, ceramics and jeewlry and the archaeological sites.It is a stunning book and serves to emphasize the colossal loss the Americas sustained with the conquest.If you've been to Mexico and love it, this book is a nice memento.If you havn't, this will make you want to go. ... Read more

Product Description
A History of Ancient Mexico The Religion and the Ceremonies of the Aztec Indians, Rio Grande Press, 1976. ... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Creates a portrait of life in the ancient Aztec civilization. Each chapter focuses on a different part of society, such as peasants, scholars/scribes, priests, soldiers, rulers, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good book
Good book, just didn't look at how many pages, thought it would be a longer read.

great beginner's book
Great book for the beginner looking to get an overall knowledge of the Aztecs. Easy to read! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
When you pick up a book by author Peter Lourie, you'll realize two things right away.First, he loves history, and his love for the subject comes through in his writing.Secondly, Mr. Lourie doesn't just write about the past.He's a hands-on type of person, and that's clearly evident in HIDDEN WORLD OF THE AZTEC.

In 1512, the two-hundred year history of the Aztecs was brought to a close when Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes captured the capital city of Tenochtitlan.That ancient city, the hub of the Aztec culture, now lies buried beneath a larger, much more modern city--that of downtown Mexico City.

Mr. Lourie followed a team of archaeologists, led by Leonardo Lopez Lujan, as they conducted new excavations at both the Great Temple and the Pyramid of the Moon.The work done at the Great Temple was the first attempted in seven years.At the more ancient Pyramid of the Moon, located thirty miles north of Mexico City, a new opening was made at the top of the pyramid, and Mr. Lourie followed a team down into never-before explored tunnels.

HIDDEN WORLD OF THE AZTEC is filled with beautiful full-color photographs, maps of the ancient Aztec world, and photos of actual archaeological finds discovered during their time in Mexico City.This first-hand account of what the ancient Aztec culture was like is not to be missed, especially by those with a love of history.

Reviewed by:Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Dad and reader
Dad and reader

I love Peter Lourie's books because they help students see that real adventure is still taking place in a real world.He visited my daughter's school a year ago. I sat in and was blown away by his passion and enthusiasm and his love for history and travel and adventure. He brings that passion to his new title, Aztec. We follow Lourie into the heart of an ancient temple at Teotihuacan, the Pyramid of the Moon.With the same archaeologist from Mexico, Leonardo Lujan, we accompany scientists opening up a new excavation at the Great Temple, the center of the Aztec capital city, which now lies under Mexico City.Fascinating stuff.And not, I might add, without a lively and informative discussion of the significance of human sacrifice to that ancient culture.

The photographs bring the subject alive and will make the Aztecs really accessible to middle graders. Our school has Lourie's other books, Maya, Inca, and Anasazi in their library. Lourie has hit a home run with this new one, the best in his New World Civilization series.I hardily recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
"Masterly....The complexities of Mexico's ancient cultures areperceptively presented and interpreted."—Library JournalMichael D. Coe's Mexico has long been recognized as the mostreadable and authoritative introduction to the region's ancientcivilizations. This companion to his best-selling The Maya hasnow been completely revised by Professor Coe and Rex Koontz.

Thesixth edition includes new developments in the birth of agriculture andwriting, both of which were independently invented here. Fresh insightsinto the metropolis of Teotihuacan reveal a world of palaces and warriorcults brought down by social revolts. A spectacular new find in thecenter of the Aztec capital, just unearthed, gives us a privilegedglimpse into the funerary rites of the most powerful monarch in NorthAmerica at the time. 181 illustrations, 20 in color ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Mexico - a very mysterious place
I was a little disappointed in Reading "Mexico".I was hoping to read about the ancient peoples of Mexico and what their daliy lives must have been like as well as their history, ways of life, beliefs, etc.. however this book was mainly focuses on archeological excavation sights and the articfacts and goes into great detail of the finds.This is all good and actually very informative for those interested in archeology alone.The book occasionally does touch on the Peoples themselves.Also, it is written in a very dry and sometimes dull and a high-brow manner which was also a turn-off to me.I recommend it though for the purpose of the many illustations and photos (the most interesting parts) and a must read for those interested in archeology.

great book
this is a great book, lots of detailed photos. i am reading this book for a chicano studies class and its a bit hard to read at times.

Great Overview
I have been reading books on pre-Columbian America for over 20 years, and Michael Coe's titles have always been amongst my favorites.He has not dissappointed me this time either.This book is a great summary of what is known, to date, about pre-hispanic Meso America.Good reading, good archeology.

Must have book on Mexican Archeology
This is a simple and easy to use reference to the archeological history of Mexico.Simply laid out with lots of examples.Good book.

Very Informative!
Manuel's review of this book is excellent - I couldn't have written it any better! However, here's my two-cents worth:

This book is a must read for anyone who lacks basic knowledge of the ancient Mexican cultures. It provides the reader with brief (and in some cases, more than brief) summaries of several of the various cultural groups that existed, covering geographic, cultural, agricultural, religious, architectural and political backgrounds. It has timelines and drawn maps to aid the reader's temporal and geographical orientation. It contains many illustrations and photographs of artifacts found, temples, statues...etc. excavated. It even includes a brief section and tips on visiting Mexico.

The only gripe I have with this book is that it provides you with a lot of information on some cultures, such as the Aztecs and Toltecs and leaves you with insufficient info on other cultures mentioned, such as the Totonacs. However, this is probably because what archeologists have unearthed of Mesoamerica is only a tiny fraction of what actually existed, i.e. the less than brief information on some of the cultural groups mentioned in this book is probably due to archeologists not having unearthed enough remnants of the existence of these cultures/not being able to fully interpret or place what they have found to date. I'm sure Coe would have provided more info if there was more in-depth info, though in the case of the Maya, there is simply too much information to be made known and hence, rather than trying to simplify everything into one chapter, a whole, separate book has been dedicated to that group.

To make up for this lack of info on some groups, Coe provides us with pictures of artifacts found, as in the section on the Olmecs, and illustrations and descriptions of their distinctive artistic/architectural style and states the likelihood of the origination of these styles and what they probably signified. I must admit that I found the more than just brief descriptions/concentrations on the artistic styles/pottery work/architectural preferences...etc. of some of the lesser-known groups a little annoying, for I am not an art/archeology student and was looking for info more on the way of life, beliefs...etc. than on their pottery and carving skills and architectural styles. Nonetheless, I am grateful that these were brought to the reader's attention rather than nothing at all mentioned.

I enjoyed this book as a kick-start to my growing interest in ancient Mexican and Andean cultures and think that it makes a good quick-reference book. At least now I have an idea/starting point of some of the ancient Mexican groups. One should read this book keeping in mind that a lot about ancient Mexico has yet to be discovered and will never be discovered (afterall, a majority of the remnants of these cultures were destroyed by conquering forces) and thus, should be thankful for whatever is divulged in this book.
... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to Mexico's ancient civilizations. This companion volume to the author's book "The Maya" has been completely revised and expanded. Enlarged sections are included on early village life and the rise of Olmec civilization. Recent discoveries - such as the stela from La Mojarra inscribed in the mysterious Isthmian script or the mass sacrifice of 200 victims at Teotihuacan - receive full coverage. A new chapter on Aztec life and society has also been added. Despite the Spanish Conquest and ensuing epidemics, the natives of Mexico survived through the Colonial period. Describing their struggle in a new epilogue, the author shows how much the character of modern Mexico derives from its Pre-Colombian past. Other work by the author includes "Breaking the Maya Code". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Review on Coe's "Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs"
Michael Coe's "Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs" is a great edition to the growing body of work on Ancient Mexico. It is a well written and logical analysis on the civilizations of Mexico. I have used this book several times to help solidify arguments in various research papers. I would highly recommend this work for anyone interested in the ancient world of Mexico.

We did not call ourselves 'Mesoamericans". Nevertheless...
This book makes it clear that the vast majority of the history of "Mexico and Central America" has nothing to do with Europeans or anything "Latin American."

Many readers may be surprised (but really it's just common sense) to learn that we Indigenous people of "Mexican" descent do not call ourselves "Mesoamericans," a term coined by a white Westerner, Paul Kirchoff, as this book makes clear.

Nevertheless, this book is the best general history of "Mexico" (itself another Euro-Iberian/American creation, twice over: 1821 and 1848).

This truly is a "pioneering synthesis" in that it takes the reader along a journey of one of the world's richest and truly original civilizations. Even more impressive when compared to the achievements of Europe: despite a 3 1/2 millenium lag time in agriculture, the peoples of Anahuac nevertheless constructed a monumental and highly sophisticated civilization, rivalling (and often dwarfing) those of Christendom at the same time.

**Compare Western Europe in the Neolithic Age to Mexico in it's own "Neolithic Age": the disparity of achievement is truly embarrassing to anyone holding onto notions of "European cultural superiority." Yikes, what a difference!
Don't take my word on it, read the Spaniards' own first-hand accounts on it!

Considering the lack of metallurgy in the land until after 800 AD, it is truly astonishing to behold the prolific construction of massive temple-pyramids and sophisticated cities across Anahuac.

Our people called the land Anáhuac (accent placed on purpose), meaning "the land between the waters" in the still-pervasive Nahuatl language. Just as there is something historically known as "Christendom" or "Western Civilization"
(oddly enough, both are based upon non-Western achievements in Sumeria and Egypt!),
even more so is there the historical justification for the term "Anahuac Civilization" (built upon the home-grown achievements of Mexico, and not outsiders as in the case of Europe/Christendom).

** This last statement is probably the most important thing that the reader will come away with from Professor Coe's book.

As the reader of both of the recent editions of "Mexico" and "The Maya" will also learn, there was a unitary and common cultural matrix which connected and sustained all the cultures of "Mexico" and "Central America" down to Costa Rica. The divisions were far more political than cultural, just as in "Christendom" or the the modern European world.

(At the time of the Spanish Invasion, Nahuatl was spoken almost everywhere, just as many modern Europeans often speak English in addition to their own languages.)

The so-called "U.S. Southwest" must necessarily be includied in this epic unfolding of civilization, as is made abundantly clear in Coe's 5th edition.

Present-day political borders and archeolgical abstractions of our presnt time get in the way of understanding this dramatic story. Post-European Invasion divisions are not the way to understand this history, just as British imperial definitions do not do justice to the understanding of the Irish people.

(One should understand an apple on an apple's terms, not an orange's!)

I have noticed an interesting trend among "Westerners" to treat the Maya as some New Age plaything along the lines of Fung Sheui and Yoga, projecting their own fanciful wishes upon the people, mutating them into a pseudo-Greek/Hellenistic carbon copy that can easily be played with like a Dream Catcher and a Buddhist wind chime.

These "Fast Food Mayanists" will be disappointed to learn that the Maya historically been "Mexicanized" by the all-pervasive influence of that central Mexican juggernaut: Teotihuacan.
Yes, the Maya did not live in a vaccuum, and their achievements were built on the achievements of the Olmec of southeastern Mexico.
Of course, the Maya deserve their place as the people who made the greatest achievements in our Anahuac Civiization.

And the reader will find that this is truly a story of a common civilization unfolding across the land (branches off the same Olmec tree), unified in religios outlook (with regional modifications just as in Europe), religious systems, architecture, diet, dysnaties, and much more.

(Keep in mind that Copan--the Classic Maya's greatest city-- was revoltionized with a 400-year Classic-period dynasty by a central Mexican from Teotihuacan: Yax Kuk Mo.
Also, no Post-Classic Maya dysnasty worth its salt would fail to claim descent from the Toltec of central Mexico.)

Truly, our people of Anahuac are in the equivalent of Europe's Dark Ages (Middle Ages) where we have lost our way, but are now emerging out of the darkness, as anyone with a cursory interest in the current "Indigenous Renaissance" will discover both in Mexico, Central America, and yes, the US Southwest.

My only gripe with the book is Coe's insistence on the "gods" school of thought, when it was clear (he states it himself) that the Aztecs possessed a monotheistic state religion with ONE GOD (yes you read that correctly): Ometeotl....and for the Maya this was called "Hunab-Ku."

Same concept.

For some reason, Westerners are readily able to accept the concept of a multi-facted God (trinity), along with deified Saints, antagonistic demons, Mary the Mother of God, and Satan...and still declare to be "Monotheists!"

The Aztec and Maya "gods" are the innumerable names and faces of one God: physical forces of the Universe, comprised of a Divine Embrace of Material and Spirit. Just as the true student of Hinduism will learn that all the Hindu gods are really manifestations of a unitary God.
If only that point had been stressed a little more in the book...

The reader would also do well to keep in mind that all this rich and impressive civilization is only recently been gleaned from what are it's "leftovers": 95% of the astronomical almanacs and encyclopedias were burned by the Spaniards, by their own admission.

What other wonders went up in those flames?!

This is a fascinating history that reads like a real-life detective story. Buy the book!

Where are the Maya?
Coe has presented us with an excellent survey of the cultures and languages of Mexico.However, he has excluded the Maya from this study.I find this disturbing because, as Coe points out on p. 61, the oldest people in Mexico were those we have come to call the Olmecs. We don't know who they were, what language they spoke, or where they came from. But we have hints. Nahual (Aztec)poems speak of a lgendary land called Tamoanchan which existed before the Nahuatl speakers came to Mexica. Tamoanchan is not a Nahuatl word. It is Mayan and it means 'Land of Rain or Mist.' This indicates that the Maya were ancestral to both the Olmecs and to all pre-Columbian Mexican culture. They deserve more than a brief two paragraphs in this work.

In-depth and complete
As a student interested in Mesoamerica, I found this book very well written and very in-depth.The maps and pictures are excellent and help the reader to relate to the areas that are discussed in the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Archaeology reveals the rich history and complex culture of the Aztecs. Journey to the center of this elevated ancient civilization, to a huge oval basin 7,500 feet above sea level, in the Valley of Mexico. Study National Geographic maps and behold the vast range of this intriguing empire. Learn how modern archaeological methods and computer technology have helped to piece together patterns of conquest and colonization. Watch over the shoulders of archaeologists as they unearth clues about the history of the Aztec. ... Read more