From their remote origins as migrating tribes to their rise as builders of empire, the Aztecs were among the most dynamic and feared peoples of ancient Mexico. This fully revised and reorganized edition of Richard Townsend's masterly study, presents an expanded view of their history and cultural achievements, and includes colour plates for the first time.

Reviews

While studies of Aztec art, architecture, and religion have appeared at regular intervals, general textbooks have been infrequent. Thus, this comprehensive, exceedingly well-researched volume has merit, especially since it seeks to instruct rather than argue. The author's engaging prose breathes new life into even the most overworked topic--for example, the tale of Cortes's march to Tenochtitlan, repeated countless times, yet told here with novel freshness. Townsend, curator of the Art Institute of Chicago's department of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, draws on new information and analyses from many fields of original research to create a strong competitor for Brian Fagan's excellent survey ( The Aztecs , Freeman, 1984), the most recent general text. Highly recommended for the general reader as the best available introduction to a complex subject.-- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus