Hidden World of the Aztec (Ancient Civilizations of the Americas) [Hardcover]

Peter Lourie (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Ancient Civilizations of the Americas

In 1521 the world of the Aztecs came to a sudden end when Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, destroyed their capital. The ruins of that city lie beneath the streets of modern-day Mexico City. Peter Lourie traveled to Mexico City to meet the renowned archaeologist Leonardo López Luján. With Dr. Luján as his guide, the author viewed the diggings at the Aztec Great Temple, and even met the God of Death in the basement of the temple's museum.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

G 3-6–This attractive book takes an objective look at the Aztecs from the perspective of archaeological digs at the Great Temple in modern-day Mexico City and at the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan. Nine highly pictorial chapters cover Aztec and Toltec history and the excavations that expand understanding of these civilizations. Lourie also outlines the process of archaeology and the methods used to uncover and preserve artifacts. A photo of a statue of the God of Death, buried in concrete, does much to illustrate the care taken to free such works of art from the medium in which they are imprisoned. The writing style is clear, informative, and interesting. The text features numerous observations made by archaeologist Leonardo López Luján, which are illuminating, especially concerning the blood sacrifice aspect of Aztec religion–exaggerated, he feels, by the Spaniards to justify their conquest. Verses of Aztec poetry begin each chapter, presenting a more rounded look at a complex and sophisticated society. This sound volume can be used with more conventional titles, such as Elaine Landau's Exploring the World of the Aztecs with Elaine Landau (Enslow, 2005), and is especially good for viewing a culture as it is re-created through excavation.–Ann Welton, Helen B. Stafford Elementary, Tacoma, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Lourie, who has written many books about his travels down the world's waterways and along historic trails, here travels to Mexico to look at the lost civilization of the Aztec. The book stumbles a bit in its introduction, telling readers how the Spaniards tried to erase Aztec culture before explaining to young people who the Aztecs were. That comes later in the book, which is really the story of Lourie as he joins archaeologist Leonardo Lopez Lujan, who is conducting excavations of the Great Temple, which is now covered by the streets of downtown Mexico, and of the older Temple of the Moon, a few miles north of the city. The book's strongest suit is its unique photographs, brightly reproduced on crisp white pages: lots of pictures of archaeologists at work and interesting finds, all bolstered by historical engravings. There are some intriguing new bits here. For instance, Lujan insists that human sacrifice was not nearly as common as history has made it out to be. Report writers will need to go elsewhere for a full treatment of Aztec life, but this book brings it into the present. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590780698
• ISBN-13: 978-1590780695
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,568,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Children's Books > History > Mexico

More About the Author

Peter Lourie was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in New England, Ontario, Canada, and New York City. He holds a BA in classics from New York University, an MA in English Literature from the University of Maine, and an MFA in nonfiction creative writing from Columbia University. He has taught writing for many years (Middlebury College, Columbia College, University of Vermont), and now makes his living traveling, writing and photographing. He also visits schools to share his adventures with students and teachers. He lives in Vermont where he is now working on an ongoing NSF-funded digital story-telling project about the Arctic, and a book about the Leakey family on Lake Turkana, Kenya.

http://peterlourie.com
http://peterlourie.com/bio/index.htm
http://arcticstories.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dad and reader, September 25, 2006

By 

William King "Book Dog" (A reader from Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hidden World of the Aztec (Ancient Civilizations of the Americas) (Hardcover)

Dad and reader

I love Peter Lourie's books because they help students see that real adventure is still taking place in a real world. He visited my daughter's school a year ago. I sat in and was blown away by his passion and enthusiasm and his love for history and travel and adventure. He brings that passion to his new title, Aztec. We follow Lourie into the heart of an ancient temple at Teotihuacan, the Pyramid of the Moon. With the same archaeologist from Mexico, Leonardo Lujan, we accompany scientists opening up a new excavation at the Great Temple, the center of the Aztec capital city, which now lies under Mexico City. Fascinating stuff. And not, I might add, without a lively and informative discussion of the significance of human sacrifice to that ancient culture.

The photographs bring the subject alive and will make the Aztecs really accessible to middle graders. Our school has Lourie's other books, Maya, Inca, and Anasazi in their library. Lourie has hit a home run with this new one, the best in his New World Civilization series. I hardily recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 21, 2006

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hidden World of the Aztec (Ancient Civilizations of the Americas) (Hardcover)

When you pick up a book by author Peter Lourie, you'll realize two things right away. First, he loves history, and his love for the subject comes through in his writing. Secondly, Mr. Lourie doesn't just write about the past. He's a hands-on type of person, and that's clearly evident in HIDDEN WORLD OF THE AZTEC.

In 1512, the two-hundred year history of the Aztecs was brought to a close when Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes captured the capital city of Tenochtitlan. That ancient city, the hub of the Aztec culture, now lies buried beneath a larger, much more modern city--that of downtown Mexico City.

Mr. Lourie followed a team of archaeologists, led by Leonardo Lopez Lujan, as they conducted new excavations at both the Great Temple and the Pyramid of the Moon. The work done at the Great Temple was the first attempted in seven years. At the more ancient Pyramid of the Moon, located thirty miles north of Mexico City, a new opening was made at the top of the pyramid, and Mr. Lourie followed a team down into never-before explored tunnels.

HIDDEN WORLD OF THE AZTEC is filled with beautiful full-color photographs, maps of the ancient Aztec world, and photos of actual archaeological finds discovered during their time in Mexico City. This first-hand account of what the ancient Aztec culture was like is not to be missed, especially by those with a love of history.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"