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How to Be an Aztec Warrior

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The back of this National Geographic volume announces "Warriors Needed," and asks its young readers "How would you like to join the team that defends your people and your homeland?" It explains that your main duties as a Aztec warrior will be to defend your city against invaders, conquer new territory, control conquered peoples and collecting tribute from them, and taking captives to sacrifice to the gods. Just hurry to the main square of your city when you hear the beat of the big drum and you will be taking the first key step in learning "How to Be an Aztec Warrior."

Written by Fiona Macdonald and illustrated by Dave Antram and Mark Bergin, this book asks young readers to imagine that they are living in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan between A.D. 1300 and 1500 (in other words, right before the Spanish invaders will arrive in Mexico and destroy the Aztec Empire within two years). So basically you would be joining up during the height of the empire and can avoiding being killed by the diseases and guns the Spanish will bring to your land. The book takes a very practical approach to this topic, as well it should being a National Geographic "How to Be" volume. If you are part of a noble family you can become a top military officer, otherwise forget it. But if you are loyal to your "calpulli" (clan or large family group), went to the right school, and can handle weapons, then you can enlist and as soon as you take your first prisoner you can cut your hair (Aztec warriors would rather capture enemy soldiers, so that they can be sacrificed to the gods, then kill them).

Actually, "How to Be an Aztec Warrior" gets beyond what you need to be a good warrior, by asking questions--such as "Will You Miss Home Cooking?", "Will You be Able to Travel," and "Can You Please the Gods?"--that allow Macdonald to work in other aspects of Aztec daily life. There are also practical concerns are the danger of being in battle (to cover the subject of medicine), and rank (so you understand the importance of jaguar knights and eagle knights). The final chapters (two-page spreads), cover the Aztec Emperor and the "Long-term Prospects" for your life as an Aztec warrior, which is not pretty good because the Spanish are coming, the Spanish are coming. For a better sense of why this is a monumental tragedy in the history of two cultures meeting you will have to look elsewhere, because it is outside the scope of this volume.

In the back of the book there is "Your Interview," where you get to answer ten questions to see if you have what it takes to get the job. You need a score of 8 for this to be your destiny, but if you score fewer than 3 you are probably destined to be poor. There is a glossary of terms, both English (e.g., "ancestor," "tribute") and Aztec (e.g, "catcli," "xicolli"), and a couple of books listed for Further Reading about the Aztec and other Meso-American cultures. Other volumes in the series explain how to be a Roman soldier, medieval knight, and Samurai warrior. The books are aimed at ages 8-12 and what they do is attract readers who will be predominantly young boys and while providing interesting facts about being an ancient warrior slip in other key aspects of that particular culture as well. So Macdonald, Antram and Bergin might just be sneaky enough to become officers, even if they were not born into noble families.