Daily Life of the Aztecs

Gr 9 Up—These comprehensive works combine accessibility with impeccable research and scholarship. Aztecs has been updated from its first edition (Greenwood, 1998) with a cleaner design and recent research. It begins with an overview of the geography of the region and then proceeds into coverage of, for example, the Aztec life cycle; art; social organization; human sacrifice; the disastrous encounter with Europeans; and, finally, how Aztec culture continues to influence life in Mexico and beyond. Inca World begins with a summary of how modern historians learned about the ancient people and touches on preceding civilizations. The book then delves into chapters covering subjects such as ecology, society and government, warfare, religion, art, economy, and daily life. With multiple pages of further resources and citations listed for each chapter, this book is a great jumping-off point for more in-depth research. Both books feature well-captioned, black-and-white illustrations, maps, and reproductions of artwork.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD