Best Aztec History Books
Here you will get Best Aztec History Books For you.This is an up-to-date list of recommended books.
1. Fingerprints of the Gods
Author: by Graham Hancock
Crown
English
592 pages
Could the story of mankind be far older than we have previously believed? Using tools as varied as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths, Graham Hancock presents a compelling case to suggest that it is. A fancy piece of historical sleuthing …
Intriguing and entertaining and sturdy enough to give a long pause for thought. Kirkus Reviews In Fingerprints of the Gods, Hancock embarks on a worldwide quest to put together all the pieces of the vast and fascinating jigsaw of mankind’s hidden past.
In ancient monuments as far apart as Egypt’s Great Sphinx, the strange Andean ruins of Tihuanaco, and Mexico’s awe-inspiring Temples of the Sun and Moon, he reveals not only the clear fingerprints of an as-yet-unidentified civilization of remote antiquity, but also startling evidence of its vast sophistication, technological advancement, and evolved scientific knowledge.
A record-breaking number one bestseller in Britain, Fingerprints of the Gods contains the makings of an intellectual revolution, a dramatic and irreversible change in the way that we understand our pastand so our future. And Fingerprints of God tells us something more.
2. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya
Author: by Mary Ellen Miller
English
216 pages
0500279284
The myths and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest. Yet, until now, no single-volume introduction has existed to act as a guide to this labyrinthine symbolic world. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya is the first-ever English-language dictionary of Mesoamerican mythology and religion.
Nearly 300 entries, from accession to yoke, describe the main gods and symbols of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs. Topics range from jaguar and jester gods to reptile eye and rubber, from creation accounts and sacred places to ritual practices such as bloodletting, confession, dance, and pilgrimage.
In addition, two introductory essays provide succinct accounts of Mesoamerican history and religion, while a substantial bibliographical survey directs the reader to original sources and recent discussions. Dictionary entries are illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned line drawings. Mary Miller and Karl Taube draw on their research in the fast-changing field of Maya studies, and on the latest Mexican discoveries, to produce an authoritative work that will serve as a standard reference for students, scholars, and travelers.
3. Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs
Author: by Camilla Townsend
Oxford University Press
English
336 pages
In November 1519, Hernando Corts walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story-and the story of what happened afterwards-has been told many times, but always following the narrative offered by the Spaniards.
After all,we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were intrigued by the Roman alphabet and, unbeknownst to the newcomers, they used it to write detailed histories in their own language of Nahuatl.
Until recently, these sources remained obscure, only partiallytranslated, and rarely consulted by scholars. For the first time, in Fifth Sun, the history of the Aztecs is offered in all its complexity based solely on the texts written by the indigenous people themselves.
Camilla Townsend presents an accessible and humanized depiction of these native Mexicans, rather than seeing them as the exotic, bloodyfigures of European stereotypes. The conquest, in this work, is neither an apocalyptic moment, nor an origin story launching Mexicans into existence.
4. Deciphering Aztec Hieroglyphs: A Guide to Nahuatl Writing
Author: by Gordon Whittaker
English
224 pages
0520380371
A portal to the ancient hieroglyphic script of the Aztec Empire. For more than three millennia the cultures of Mesoamerica flourished, yielding the first cities of the Western Hemisphere and developing writing systems that could rival those of the East in their creativity and efficiency.
The Nahuatl-speaking Aztecs reigned over one of the greatest imperial civilizations the Americas had ever seen, and until now their intricate and visually stunning hieroglyphs have been overlooked in the story of writing. In this innovative volume Gordon Whittaker provides the reader with a step-by-step, illustrated guide to reading Aztec glyphs, as well as the historical and linguistic context needed to appreciate and understand this fascinating writing system.
He also tells the story of how this enigmatic language has been deciphered and gives a tour through Aztec history as recorded in the richly illustrated hieroglyphic codices. This groundbreaking guide is essential reading for anyone interested in the Aztecs, hieroglyphs, or ancient languages.
5. The Codex Borgia: A Full-Color Restoration of the Ancient Mexican Manuscript (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)
Author: by Gisele Díaz
Dover Publications
English
112 pages
Considered by many scholars the finest extant Mexican codex and one of the most important original sources for the study of pre-Columbian religion, the Codex Borgia is a work of profound beauty, filled with strange and evocative images related to calendrical, cosmological, ritual, and divinatory matters.
Generally similar to such Mixtec manuscripts as the Codex Nuttall, the Codex Borgia is thought to have its origin (ca.A.D. 1400) in the southern central highlands of Mexico, perhaps in Puebla or Oaxaca. It is most probably a religious document that once belonged to a temple or sacred shrine.
One use of the Codex many have been to divine the future, for it includes ritual 260 day calendars, material on aspects of the planet Venus, and a sort of numerological prognostic of the lives of wedded couples. Another section concerns various regions of the world and the supernatural characters and attributes of those regions.
Also described are the characteristics of a number of deities, while still other passages relate to installation ceremonies of rulers in pre-Columbian kingdoms. Until the publication of this Dover edition, the Codex Borgia has been largely inaccessible to the general public.
6. Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of The Mayan Book of The Dawn of Life and The Glories of Gods and Kings
Author: by Dennis Tedlock
Touchstone
English
384 pages
Popol Vuh, the Quich Mayan book of creation, is not only the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, it is also an extraordinary document of the human imagination. It begins with the deeds of Mayan gods in the darkness of a primeval sea and ends with the radiant splendor of the Mayan lords who founded the Quich kingdom in the Guatemalan highlands.
Originally written in Mayan hieroglyphs, it was transcribed into the Roman alphabet in the sixteenth century. This new edition of Dennis Tedlock’s unabridged, widely praised translation includes new notes and commentary, newly translated passages, newly deciphered hieroglyphs, and over forty new illustrations.
7. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico
Author: by Miguel Leon-Portilla
080705500X
Beacon Press
English
For hundreds of years, the history of the conquest of Mexico and the defeat of the Aztecs has been told in the words of the Spanish victors. Miguel Len-Portilla has long been at the forefront of expanding that history to include the voices of indigenous peoples.
In this new and updated edition of his classic The Broken Spears, Len-Portilla has included accounts from native Aztec descendants across the centuries. These texts bear witness to the extraordinary vitality of an oral tradition that preserves the viewpoints of the vanquished instead of the victors.
Len-Portilla’s new Postscript reflects upon the critical importance of these unexpected historical accounts.
8. Aztec Mythology: Captivating Aztec Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures
Author: by Matt Clayton
English
100 pages
1724087258
If you’re looking for a captivating collection of Aztec myths then keep reading The Aztecs believed that offerings of human blood and human lives were necessary to the continued running of the universe. Indeed, in Aztec myths the gods themselves make sacrifices of their own blood and even of their entire bodies in order to create a universe humans can live in and, in one story, to create humans themselves; humans therefore must make blood sacrifices in turn to feed the gods and to keep the universe in existence.
To the ancient Aztecs, these practices seemed fitting, necessary, and honorable, helping to connect the world of humans to the divine world of the gods, a universe that in Aztec myth took shape in cycles of creation, destruction, and rebirth.
Aztec Mythology: Captivating Aztec Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures invites you to go on a startling journey to discover stories such as: The Legend of the SunsThe Deeds of MixcoatlThe Origin of Maize and the Creation of PulqueThe Fall of XochiquetzalThe Fate of SoulsHuitzilopochtli and the Founding of TenochtitlanHuemac Plays the Ball GameAnd many more!
9. Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs
Author: by Buddy Levy
Bantam
English
448 pages
In this astonishing work of scholarship that reads like an edge-of-your-seat adventure thriller, acclaimed historian Buddy Levy records the last days of the Aztec empire and the two men at the center of an epic clash of cultures perhaps unequaled to this day.
It was a moment unique in human history, the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. In 1519, Hernn Corts arrived on the shores of Mexico, determined not only to expand the Spanish empire but to convert the natives to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold.
That he saw nothing paradoxical in carrying out his intentions by virtually annihilating a proud and accomplished native people is one of the most remarkable and tragic aspects of this unforgettable story. In Tenochtitln Corts met his Aztec counterpart, Montezuma: king, divinity, commander of the most powerful military machine in the Americas and ruler of a city whose splendor equaled anything in Europe.
Yet in less than two years, Corts defeated the entire Aztec nation in one of the most astounding battles ever waged. The story of a lost kingdom, a relentless conqueror, and a doomed warrior, Conquistador is history at its most riveting.
10. Mesoamerican Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Maya Mythology, Aztec Mythology, Inca Mythology, and Central American Myths
Author: by Matt Clayton
English
324 pages
1094609978
If you’re looking for a captivating collection of Inca Myths, then keep reading… This book includes four captivating manuscripts:Maya Mythology: Captivating Maya Myths of Gods, Goddesses and Legendary CreaturesAztec Mythology: Captivating Aztec Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary CreaturesInca Mythology: Captivating Inca Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary CreaturesCentral American Mythology: Captivating Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures of Ancient Mexico and Central AmericaIn the first part of this book, you’ll find the following Maya myths and topics coveredTwo Creation MythsThe Downfall of Seven MacawThe Boyhood Deeds of Hunahpu and XbalanqueBallgames in XibalbaThe Deaths and Resurrections of Hunahpu and XbalanqueThe Man Who Became a BuzzardHow the Sun and Moon Became Man and WifeRabbit Gets His DrinkAnd many more!
In the second part of this book, you’ll find the following Aztec myths and topics coveredThe Legend of the SunsThe Deeds of MixcoatlThe Origin of Maize and the Creation of PulqueThe Fall of XochiquetzalThe Fate of SoulsHuitzilopochtli and the Founding of TenochtitlanHuemac Plays the Ball GameAnd many more!
11. Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey of John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya
Author: by William Carlsen
William Morrow Paperbacks
English
544 pages
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe “masterful chronicle” of the discovery of the legendary lost civilization of the Maya and the quest to unlock their secrets. Featuring a history and description of the major Maya sites, including Chichen Itza, Tulum, Palenque, Uxmal, Copan, and more.
Illustrated with a map and more than 100 images. In 1839, rumors of extraordinary yet baffling stone ruins buried within the unmapped jungles of Central America reached two of the world’s most intrepid travelers. Seized by the reports, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwoodboth already celebrated for their adventures in Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece, and Romesailed together out of New York Harbor on an expedition into the forbidding rainforests of present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.
What they found would upend the West’s understanding of human history. In the tradition of Lost City of Z and In the Kingdom of Ice, former San Francisco Chronicle journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist William Carlsen reveals the remarkable story of the discovery of the ancient Maya.
12. History of Mexico: A Captivating Guide to Mexican History, Starting from the Rise of Tenochtitlan through Maximilian's Empire to the Mexican … Indigenous Uprising (Captivating History)
Author: by Captivating History
English
104 pages
1647486858
If you want to discover the captivating history of Mexico, then keep reading… Before the modern country was born in 1821, the territory that today comprises 32 states and few small islands was inhabited by ancient dynasties and kingdoms of warriors, astronomers, priests, temples for human sacrifice, and, surprisingly, some of the largest cities in the world.
It is estimated that the sacred city of Chichen Itza, in the Yucatan Peninsula, was larger than Paris at its height of splendor. This fascinating journey through Mexico’s history, from its amazing pre-Hispanic past to the end of the 20th century, will reveal more surprises than the reader can imagine.
In the words of the self-proclaimed Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, Mexico has magic. I looked for that magic, and I found it there. In History of Mexico: A Captivating Guide to Mexican History, Starting from the Rise of Tenochtitlan through Maximilian’s Empire to the Mexican Revolution and the Zapatista Indigenous Uprising, you will discover topics such asThe Era of EmpiresThe Spanish-Aztec War and New SpainThe Birth of a Nation From the Halls of MontezumaThe Big DivisionThe Most Beautiful Empire in the WorldIn the Times of Don PorfirioThe Mexican RevolutionThe CristerosThe Second World War and the Mexican MiracleEnd of Century PangsAnd much, much more!
13. An Aztec Herbal: The Classic Codex of 1552
Author: by William Gates
Dover Publications
English
144 pages
“I love that this book is the real deal. A truly unique and informative read.” Texas Kitchen and Garden and MoreOriginally written in the Aztec language, Nahuatl, in 1552, this classic codex was the first herbal and medical text compiled in the New World.
The author of this extraordinarily rare and valuable document was Martn de la Cruz, an Aztec physician, whose work was subsequently translated into Latin by an Aztec nobleman, Juan Badiano. The book was translated into English in 1939 by William Gates.
In these pages are centuries-old Aztec remedies for boils, hair loss, cataracts, insomnia, sore throats, hiccups, gout, lesions, wounds, joint diseases, tumors, and scores of other ailments. Over 180 black-and-white figures of the plants augment the text, along with 38 full color illustrations made specially for the Gates edition.
Additional supplements include an introduction to the Mexican botanical system, an analytical index of the plants, and a new Introduction by anthropologist Bruce Byland of the City University of New York. Remarkable for its scope, detail, careful observation, and accurate description, An Aztec Herbal stands as a magnificent example of the impressive medical knowledge of indigenous peoples.
14. Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference
Author: by Jane Burbank
Princeton University Press
English
528 pages
How empires have used diversity to shape the world order for more than two millenniaEmpiresvast states of territories and peoples united by force and ambitionhave dominated the political landscape for more than two millennia. Empires in World History departs from conventional European and nation-centered perspectives to take a remarkable look at how empires relied on diversity to shape the global order.
Beginning with ancient Rome and China and continuing across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa, Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper examine empires’ conquests, rivalries, and strategies of dominationwith an emphasis on how empires accommodated, created, and manipulated differences among populations.
Burbank and Cooper examine Rome and China from the third century BCE, empires that sustained state power for centuries. They delve into the militant monotheism of Byzantium, the Islamic Caliphates, and the short-lived Carolingians, as well as the pragmatically tolerant rule of the Mongols and Ottomans, who combined religious protection with the politics of loyalty.
15. Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed
Author: by Edwin Barnhart
23 hours and 15 minutes
Edwin Barnhart
March 06, 2015
Centuries ago, Spanish conquistadors searching for gold and new lands encountered a group of independent city-states in Mesoamerica. Sophisticated beyond the Spaniards’ wildest imaginings, these people were the Aztecs, the Maya, and related cultures that shared common traditions of religion, government, the arts, engineering, and trade.
In many ways more advanced than European nations, these societies equaled the world’s greatest civilizations of their time. Immerse yourself in this epic story with 48 exhilarating half-hour lectures that cover the scope of Mesoamerican history and culture. You’ll focus mainly on the Maya, who have been in Mesoamerica for thousands of years, and the Aztecs, who mysteriously appeared late and rose swiftly to power.
The Aztecs fell from power just as precipitously; their empire controlled the region for less than a century, until the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1500s. Why were the Aztecs so quickly defeated by the conquistadors, while the Maya resisted the invaders for generations?
