Aztec, Inca, and Maya (DK Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth Baquedano (Author), Barry Clarke (Author) "IN THE 16TH CENTURY, Spanish explorers in the Americas encountered two great civilizations - one in Mesoamerica (the territory controlled by the Aztecs and the..." (more)
Key Phrases: The Incas, South America, Machu Picchu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-The three major civilizations of the Americas are introduced here in a compare-and-contrast, scattershot approach. Small, sparkling, full-color captioned photographs of cities, pottery, jewelry, and clothing accompany one-paragraph texts on such general topics (treated on two pages each) as farming, hunting and fishing, family life, and more. Photos of the Mexican National Archeological Museum's re-creations of scenes of daily life are used to depict such ancient activities as trade, tribute, and medicine. Illustrations from the pages of the Mayan codices are reproduced throughout, but there is no explanation of their significance until page 40, or of what the conquering Spaniards did with them. Although the pictures are bright, clear, and attention grabbing, the text is just random facts scattered across the pages. These majestic cultures are done a disservice by this weightless flitting from topic to topic.
Frances E. Millhouser, Reston Regional Library,
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (September 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756613833
• ISBN-13: 978-0756613839
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,879 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The artifacts of the great civilizations of Mesoamerica and the Andes, October 14, 2005

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Aztec, Inca & Maya (Eyewitness Books (Knopf Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

My assumption is that a DK Eyewitness Book entitled "Aztec, Inca & Maya" would devote sections to each of the three great civilizations that Spanish explorers encountered and eradicated in the 16th century. The Aztec empire stretched between the Pacific and the Atlantic costs of Mesoamerica, the Maya kingdom was found in the eastern part of Mesoamerica, and the Inca Empire stretched 4,000 miles along the western coast of South America. But this book considers the people of these regions to be a mosaic of tribes and nations so that most of the chapters are topical, talking about food and drink, religious life, masks, and such in terms of all of the cultures that apply. There are a few specific chapters devoted to the Incas and their ancestors and Cities of the Andes, but most toss in everything together.

I have to admit, I do not find this approach to work anymore than one about Mediterranean cultures that lumps Spain, Italy and Greece together with the likes of Portugal, Sicily, and Crete thrown in for good measure. In this volume the Olmecs, Teotihuacans, and Toltecs are thrown in for good measure, but not so that you can have anything close to a clear conception of the specific cultures. There are some topics where it makes sense to talk about multiple cultures, such as the Human sacrifice by the Incas and Aztecs, but that does not apply to all of these topics. Consequently, I am tempted to get different colored highlighters and color code the three main cultures throughout the book so it is easier to make the connections.

As always, the chief attraction of this Eyewitness Book is that it is filled with photographs of artifacts from museums around the world, from the Archaeological Museum in Lima the National Palace in Mexico City to the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence and the Rietberg Museum in Zurich (a subtle reminder that a lot of New World treasures made their way to Europe). Most of us will never get to see a Toltec coyote warrior inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the Gateway of the Sun at Tiahuanaco, or a "teponaztli" (horizontal drum) in person. "The Los Angeles Times Book Review" called one of these volumes "Like a mini-museum between the covers of a book," which is so on point that DK always puts that quote on the back. Almost as important, Elizabeth Bauedano provides detailed captions for the illustrations so that you know what you are looking at and what it means. Consequently "Aztec, Inca & Maya" works better as a supplemental source than as an introduction to these fascinating civilizations.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One of the poorest Eyewitness Books, September 12, 2005

By	Lydia Joyce - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aztec, Inca & Maya (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

I'm a huge fan of the DK Eyewitness series, but even so, I could not like this book despite the usual gorgeous photographs.

The pages were arranged thematically and the different cultures (Aztec, Inca, Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Moche, Mixtec, Nazca...) were so intermixed that it became painful to keep which was which straight--and I already knew a nontrivial amount about most of them!

The SLJ wrote in their review, "Although the pictures are bright, clear, and attention grabbing, the text is just random facts scattered across the pages. These majestic cultures are done a disservice by this weightless flitting from topic to topic." I couldn't agree more. SKIP this one!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated but covers too much ground., July 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Aztec, Inca & Maya (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

This is another in the delightful series of Eyewitness books for children. It is beautifully illustrated with excellent photographs and a terrific collection of illustrations taken from modern and historical sources. However, this book tries to cover too much in the alloted space. The book shows examples of clothing, tools, architecture, religion and arts from all 3 cultures (Maya, Aztec & Inca). Unfortunately, the book also includes examples from cultures preceding and succeeding these great civilizations such as the Moche, Mixtec, Toltec, Olmec and Nazca. This makes for a somewhat confusing situation, and you wish for a timeline and map to show when and where all these peoples are located. All in all, it's a very eye-catching book. I do suggest for future editions the Eyewitness folks should consider books that concentrate specifically on the Maya, Aztec or Inca, or at least one volume on Mexico and Mesoamerica and one volume on Peru.