Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Carrasco, David (2011): The Aztecs - A Very Short Introduction

What is it about?

The book is a brief and general overview of the Aztecs.

It contains an historical account spread throughout the book, and a very heavy emphasis on the "world view" of the Aztecs with special focus on their religiosity (which perhaps is difficult to separate from other aspects of Aztecs' world view).

Was it good?

To be honest, I had higher hopes about the book than what the actual reading experience realized.

What I especially struggled with was the quite pervasive discussion about religiosity, mythical stories, legends, gods and other such aspects of Aztecs' world view, which I felt as overshadowing the "historical Aztecs".

Hence, I would have appreciated a more historical treatment, perhaps especially focusing on the "micro history", i.e what the daily life was like and so on, instead of rulers and wars. Admittedly, there are such elements in the book throughout, but I somehow failed to get a coherent historical picture while reading the book.

The main take-away for me?

The take-away what the book would seem to offer me is that the Aztecs were thoroughly immersed in their myths and gods, and the rest is dominated by rulers and wars. However, I suspect that this is not what the take-away should be.

Who should read the book?

I would not generally recommend the book unless one is very interested in the Aztecs and already has good basic knowledge of the subject matter. Then again, if this is the case, one quite likely is not in a need to read a very short introduction about it.

The book on Amazon.com: The Aztecs - A Very Short Introduction

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