Customer Reviews

The Essential Codex Mendoza

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best publications on the Aztecs, a major historical source that is accessible and fascinating. University of California Press made a mistake by including color illustrations and giving this a high price. It was always pricey for assignment for college classes, and now its out of print. It would have been better to give up the color illustrations and lower the price. But in any case this book it is worth looking at for anyone interested in the Aztecs, Mesoamerica, or native American cultures.

Finally, a guide for the lay person who wants to understand Aztec culture. The Essential Codex is an abbreviation of an even larger tome published by the California Press in 1992. Here is the Rosetta stone for Mesoamerican studies. Kudos to the authors for providing such an insightful guide. Ron Mader El Planeta Platica

This Review is about the Essential Codex Mendoza, not the full blown expensive four volume edition:
This book is totally fabulous!! Though it might not have all of the original Codex in its original color( a few color represantaions have made it in though), it does have all the Codex in black and white with copious explanations. In my opinion this is one of the more informative books about Aztec life out there, and being able to see the picutures of the codex(even if some are just black and white) is fabulous. I confess that I haven't read the whole thing but have thoroughly enjoyed leafing through it and learning fascinating tidbits on Aztec life. This book is the coolest!!