Publisher's Synopsis
At the back of the book is a 12-page foldout timeline which can be detached and displayed on a wall or noticeboard. It offers a colourful visual reference to the key periods, events and developments of ancient central Mexico from the earliest hunter-gatherers around 8,000 BC, to the growth of farming, villages and finally the flourishing of the Aztecs with their great city of Tenochtitlan. The Aztec culture was virtually destroyed when the Spanish defeated the Aztec king Moctezuma in 1519, changing the course of Mexican history forever. The 32-page book follows the same chronological arrangement, giving supporting information and background. The Aztecs were a great culture but they did not exist alone: they participated in trade, alliances, exploitation, tribute and warfare with surrounding peoples of Mexico. Gain insights into their technologies (farming, building); ideas (beliefs about the natural and supernatural worlds, social and political systems); means of expression (writing, art, calendars and mathematical systems); valuable goods and even people (such as craftsmen). Both book and timeline are richly illustrated throughout with colour photographs, including numerous objects from the British Museums collections.
