Thomas presents a balanced account of one of the greatest adventure stories in human history. Montezuma ii, ninth aztec emperor of mexico, famous for his dramatic confrontation with the spanish conquistador hernan cortes. Modernday mexico city was constructed on the ruins of tenochtitlan. The two books read together will give any school child a great understanding of the aztecs and the end of their empire. The aztecs were a precolumbian mesoamerican people of central mexico in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. In tenochtitlan cortes met his aztec counterpart, montezuma. Aztec human sacrifice as depicted in the codex tudela. However, spanish conquerors arrived shortly after and destroyed all the books.
The fall of the aztec capital which is a great book about hernan cortes conquest of the aztec empire. The spanish claimed montezuma died at the hands of his own people. I absolutely loved this bookone of my favorite history books ever. During the empire, barbarians the city was built on a raised island in lake texcoco. The aztec peoples included different ethnic groups of central mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of mesoamerica from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Nothing was done with cocoa beans, however, until the third decade of the 16 th century, after hernando cortez had been served a frothy, bitter liquid of ground cocoa beans, chile pepper and water by the aztec king montezuma. Synopsis when montezuma ii was born circa 1466, the aztec empire spread to presentday honduras and nicaragua. Montezuma, king of the aztecs, ruled over 15 million people when cortes arrived with a. Through astrologers, the god instilled in the emperor a kind of fatalism in the face of an uncertain future. A short history of chocolate, and montezumas golden. During that time, he increased taxes on his people and demanded more human tributes to be sacrificed to the gods.
Hernan cortes, king montezuma, and the last stand of. In november 1519, hernando cort s walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the aztec kingdom and came face to face with moctezuma. Montezuma ii was the ninth king of the aztec empire. The true story of the meeting that changed history. Although thomas writing style is that of the typical historian, the story is nothing short of spellbinding. Montezuma, king of the aztecs, ruled over 15 million people when cortes arrived with a few hundred spanish soldiers and cuban porters. For those complaining about the eurocentrism, or whatever, of this book and others regarding the conquest of the incas and the aztecs. Moctezuma is remembered today mainly as the aztec ruler who lost his empire to a european power, although this is an unfair assessment of him. Montezuma, or more correctly, motecuhzoma ii xocoyotzin, meaning angry like a lord, was the last fully independent ruler of the aztec empire.
This book is part of the see through history series, published by viking press. Moctezuma ii, the emperor who lost an empire ancient origins. Aztec is a 1980 historical fiction novel by gary jennings. The aztec city of tenochtitlan had books which they called amoxtin. Online shopping for aztec history books in the books store. Places aztec civilization and history in the context of world history montezuma ca. The 47 best aztec history books recommended by the jupiter girl, such as aztec. A captivating guide to four ancient civilizations that existed in mexico the olmec, zapotec, maya and aztec civilization captivating history 3. Hernan cortes, king montezuma, and the last stand of the aztecs. The definitive chronicle of the ancient peoples of central america and mexico including the aztec, maya, olmec, mixtec, toltec and zapotec dec 20 2019 by charles phillips and david m.
Learn about the aztecs, a powerful tribe who lived in mexico a long time ago and their life and customs. Cortes himself was said to be the returning aztec god, quetzalcoatl. Itzcoatls successor montezuma moctezuma i, who took power in 1440, was a great warrior who was remembered as the father of the aztec. Moctezuma ii was the 9th ruler of the aztec empire, whose unfortunate reign coincided with the arrival of the spanish under the conquistador hernan cortez hernan cortes. Public domain the last real ruler of the aztec empire. Tsouras demonstrates, almost immediately montezuma transformed himself from a man of good judgment to a. Conquest is a gigantic book about montezuma, cortes and the fall of old mexico, as it states in the title. It is true that aztec civilization continues to be seen as a particularly bloodthirsty one, but the general assessment of it has also become.
Moctezuma i succeeded itzcoatl as the 6th hueyi tlatoani in 1449. Its meticulously researched and restall brings up some interesting ways in which to think about history, ill give him that. Ringing with the fury of two great empires locked in an epic battle, conquest captures in extraordinary detail the mexican and spanish civilizations and offers unprecedented indepth portraits of the legendary opponents, montezuma and cortes. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if. In 1519, the spanish conquistador hernan cortes arrived on the outskirts of tenochtitlan, the capital of the mighty aztec empire. Conquest is an essential work of history from one of our most gifted historians. Moctezuma, the story goes, mistook cortes for a god whose return had long. The meeting of aztec emperor montezuma ii and hernan cortes and the events. Moctezuma ii, variant spellings include montezuma, moteuczoma, motecuhzoma, moteuczomah, muteczuma, and referred to in full by early nahuatl texts as motecuhzoma xocoyotzin,n. Misunderstood moments in history rise of the aztec empire duration. Montezuma was commander of the army and organized extensive expeditions of conquest in deference to huitzilopochtli, the god of war and of the sun. Hernan cortes, king montezuma, and the last stand of the aztec is the riveting and vivid account of cortes and his brutal conquest of the aztec empire in 1519 1521.
The conquest of the aztecs looks at the history and culture of the aztec, while exploring the controversial lives and legacies of the man who ruled the empire and the man who conquered it. The first 100 pages or so introduce the aztec and spanish civilizations as the existed before. The messy history of the spanish and aztecs is still strikingly visible in. Montezuma, cortes and the fall of old mexico by hugh. The recipe was sent back to spain and, with the addition of some sweetener honey, or possibly cane sugar, and the newly discovered vanilla plus some cinnamon and black. Montezuma, or more correctly, motecuhzoma ii xocoyotzin aka moctezuma or angry like a lord was the last fully independent ruler of the aztec empire before the civilizations collapse at the hands of the spanish in the early 16th century ce. Montezuma, or more correctly, motecuhzoma ii xocoyotzin aka moctezuma or angry like a lord was the last fully independent ruler of the aztec empire before the civilizations collapse. It was a moment unique in human history, the facetoface meeting between two men from. This book is a history of the spanish conquest of the mexica aztec people during the first decades of the sixteenth century.
The magnificent stone monument variously referred to as the monument of sacred war, the teocalli of sacred war, the temple stone or, more simply, the throne of motecuhzoma ii, the aztec king tlatoani who ruled at the time of the spanish conquest, is covered with relief carvings of symbols, gods and motecuhzoma himself. See more ideas about mexico, aztec warrior and aztec culture. Buddy levy has written quite an ambitious historical piece in conquistador, which was. His name has a number of variants in spelling, including moctezuma, moteuczoma, and. That storyand the story of what happened afterwardshas been told many times, but always following the narrative offered by the spaniards. Discover librarianselected research resources on aztec civilization from the questia. Itzcoatls successor montezuma moctezuma i, who took power in 1440, was a great warrior who was remembered as the father of the aztec empire. Tsouras demonstrates, almost immediately montezuma transformed himself from a man of good judgment to. Yet in less than two years, cortes defeated the entire aztec nation in. List of books and articles about aztec civilization online research.
A captivating guide to maya history and maya mythology mayan civilization, aztecs and incas book 1 captivating history. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. A captivating guide to mayan history, the aztecs, and inca empire captivating history. There are suggestions below for improving the article.
Moctezuma ii was a good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. It has been said that to the aztec emperor, montezuma ii, cortes and his men were regarded not as mortals, but gods. The throne, carved in the shape of a pyramid temple, commemorates. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The veracity of this claim is difficult to ascertain, though some recent ethnohistorians specialising in early spanishnahua relations have discarded it as postconquest mythicalisation. The first contact between indigenous civilizations of mesoamerica and europeans took place during his reign, and he was killed during the. Some of the aztec stories about moctezuma describe him as being fearful of the spanish newcomers, and some sources, such as the florentine codex, comment that the aztecs believed the spaniards to be gods and cortes to be the returned god quetzalcoatl. It was almost the only help he received as few back in spain even seemed to know or care what he was up to.