Handbook to life in the Aztec world
Captures the essence of life in great civilizations of the past. Each volume in this series examines a single civilization, and covers everything from landmark events and monumental achievements to geography and everyday life
History
1 online resource (xxiii, 440 pages) : illustrations, maps
9780816074839, 0816074836
191029111
Guide to pronunciation and spelling of Nahuatl terms
1. Mesoamerican civilizations and Aztec archaeology
The area of Mesoamerica
The people of Mesoamerica
Brief history of Aztec archaeology
Main historical primary sources about the Aztec
Reading
2. Evolution of Aztec civilization
Origins and the great migration
Mexica-Aztec history
Reading
3. Geography of the Aztec world
The concept of sacred landscape
The Valley of Mexico : the land, the lake and natural resources
The island city of Tenochtitlan
City-states and neighboring peoples
Linguistic history and distribution of Nahua peoples
Reading
4. Society and government
Social structure and class hierarchy
Tlatoani
Cihuacoatl
Priests
Tecuhtli
Calpulli
Household
Reading
5. Warfare
Training
Military ranks and orders
Military intelligence
Women and war
Uniforms and weapons
Battle tactics and strategies
Principal Aztec military campaigns
Tribute
Flower wars
Reading
6. Religion, cosmology, and mythology
Structure of the universe
Main myths
The Aztec gods
Rituals
Ritual human sacrifice
Reading
7. Funerary beliefs and customs
Creation myths and concepts about death
Funerary places of destination
Burials and creation
Souls
Human sacrifice
Reading
8. Aztec art
Aztec artists and craftsmen
Monumental stone sculpture
Terra-cotta sculpture
Ceramics
Wood art
Feather work
Lapidary arts
Gold work
Reading
9. Aztec architecture
Symbolism
Types of architecture
Building materials and techniques
The precinct of Tenochtitlan
Other cities
Reading
10. Nahuatl literature
Tlacuilos and their techniques
Codices
Pictographic-phonetic writing
Poetry and narrative
Reading
11. The calendar, astronomy, and mathematics
The calendar system
Conception of the universe
Astronomy
Mathematics
Reading
12. Economy, industry, and trade
Modes of production
Agriculture and Chinampas
Use of water in the Valley of Mexico
Food sources
Laborers and artisans
The marketplace
Transportation
Long-distance trade
The Pochtecah
Tribute
Reading
13. Daily life
Family
Women
Education
Shamanism and medicine
Games
Personal appearance and attire
Royal court life
Food and drink
Music and dance
Reading
14. The Aztec after the conquest and today
The conquest of Mexico
Colonial Mexico : the process of transculturation
Tequitqui art
Mexico and its Mestizo identity
The Indians of Central Mexico today
Reading
Main museums containing Aztec collections
Aztec poems