Michael E. Smith is Professor of Anthropology in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. He has directed excavations at numerous Aztec sites and is co-editor (with Marilyn Masson) of The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica: A Reader (Blackwell, 1999) and author of Aztec City-State Capitals (University Press of Florida, 2008).

List of Figures x
List of Tables xiv
Preface xv
Guide to Pronunciation and Spelling xviii
1 The Aztecs of Mesoamerica 1
Who Were the Aztecs? 3
Mesoamerican Context 5
The Aztec Environment 7
Sources of Information 12
Ethnohistory 13
Archaeology 20
Art History 27
Aztec Studies Today 28
2 The Rise of Aztec Civilization 30
Timetables 31
Pre-Aztec Civilizations 33
The Aztlan Migrations 36
Toltecs, Chichimecs, and Aztec Identity 39
The Growth of City-States: The Early Aztec Period 40
Tenochtitlan and Empire: The Late Aztec Period 46
3 People on the Landscape 60
How Many Aztecs? 61
The Aztec Diet 65
Farming Systems 69
Rural Settlement 77
The Rural Landscape 81
4 Artisans and their Wares 82
Utilitarian Crafts 82
Luxury Crafts 94
Otumba: An Aztec Craft Center 103
5 The Commercial Economy 108
Marketplaces 109
Money 116
Material Evidence for Aztec Commerce 119
A Complex Economy 124
6 Family and Social Class 127
Growing up Aztec 128
Adult Life and Social Roles 131
Social Classes 134
Commoners 135
Nobles and their Palaces 143
7 City-State and Empire 152
City-States 153
Relations Among City-States 159
The Empire of the Triple Alliance 163
Imperial Strategies and Control 165
Mexica Propaganda and the Limits of Empire 177
8 Cities and Urban Planning 179
City-State Capitals 180
Provincial Cities and Towns 184
Tenochtitlan 189
9 Creation, Death, and the Gods 197
Myths of Creation 198
Aztec Religion: Historical Background 201
The Gods 204
Death, Burial, and the Afterlife 211
10 Temples and Ceremonies 217
Priests 217
Human Blood Offerings 219
The Templo Mayor 225
Public Ceremonies 235
Private Rituals 239
11 Science, Writing, and Calendars 244
Writing 244
Calendars and Astronomy 249
Technology 259
Medicine 260
12 Art, Music, and Literature 263
Art 263
Literature and Poetry 271
Music and Dance 274
13 Final Glory, Conquest, and Legacy 278
The Final Century: 1428-1519 279
Conquest by Spain 282
The Nahuas under Spanish Rule 290
Continuity and Change 296
The Aztec Legacy: Modern Nahua Indian Culture 298
The Aztec Past and the Mexican Present 300
A Wider Perspective 303
Notes 305
Glossary of Nahuatl Terms 337
References 339
Index 385

The Aztecs brings to life one of the best-known indigenous civilizations of the Americas in a vivid, comprehensive account of the ancient Aztecs.
* A thorough examination of Aztec origins and civilization including religion, science, and thought
* Incorporates the latest archaeological excavations and research into explanations of the Spanish conquest and the continuity of Aztec culture in Central Mexico
* Expanded coverage includes key topics such as writing, music, royal tombs, and Aztec predictions of the end of the world