List of Tables.

Preface.

Guide to Pronunciation and Spelling.

1. The Aztecs of Mesoamerica:.

Who Were the Aztecs?.

Mesoamerican Context.

The Aztec Environment.

Sources of Information.

Ethnohistory.

Archaeology.

Aztec Studies Today.

Box: Reading a Ritual Codex.

2. The Rise of Aztec Civilization:.

Timetables.

Pre-Aztec Civilizations.

The Aztlan Migrations.

The Growth of City-States: The Early Aztec Period.

Tenochtitlan and Empire: The Late Aztec Period.

BOX: Reading a Historical Codex.

3. People on the Landscape:.

How Many Aztecs?.

The Aztec Diet.

Farming Systems.

Rural Settlement.

The Rural Landscape.

4. Artisans and their Wares:.

Utilitarian Crafts.

Luxury Crafts.

Otumba: an Aztec Craft Center.

5. The Commercial Economy:.

Marketplaces.

Merchants.

Money.

Material Evidence for Aztec Commerce.

6. Family and Social Class:.

Growing Up Aztec.

Adult Life and Social Roles.

Social Classes.

Commoners.

Nobles and Their Palaces.

7. City-State and Empire:.

City-States.

Relations among City-States.

The Empire of the Triple Alliance.

Imperial Strategies and Control.

Mexica Propaganda and the Limits of Empire.

8. Cities and Urban Planning:.

City-State Capitals.

Provincial Cities and Towns.

Tenochtitlan.

9. Creation, Death and the Gods:.

Myths of Creation.

Aztec Religion: Historical Background.

The Gods.

Death, Burial, and the Afterlife.

10. Temples and Ceremonies:.

Priests.

Human Blood Offerings.

The Templo Mayor.

Public Ceremonies.

Private Rituals.

11. Science and Art:.

Writing.

Calendars and Astronomy.

Technology.

Medicine.

Art.

Literature and Poetry.

Music and Dance.

12. Final Glory, Conquest and Legacy:.

The Final Century, 1428-1519.

Conquest by Spain.

The Nahuas under Spanish Rule.

Continuity and Change.

The Aztec Legacy: Modern Nahua Indian Culture.

The Aztec Past and the Mexican Present.

A Wider Perspective.

Notes.

Glossary of Nahuatl Terms.

References.

Index.