David CarrascoThe Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction

Well summarized historical and colonial review - for first learners and people who want a succinct overview.. It does not much cover contemporary Nahua culture in Mexico, but that would be expecting too much for a short book.

Used this for an intro Chicano Studies course. Excellent depth and detail on the urban planning marvels of Tenochtitlan, the advancements of the Aztecs and a nice overview of the immense depth of Mesoamerican civilizations - all in a compact text. Perfect readings for first year college students, appropriate for high school. Timely text during the year (2019) of the Quincentennial of the Invasion of Tenochtitlan. Carrasco writing is brilliant, easy to follow.

A brief and extremely readable summary of various aspects do the history and culture of the Mexica. It does have to achieve a broad overview of the cultural and religious history of the Mexica, but it is so broad that the reader may have a hard time contacting. That said, the further reading section is excellent to build on knowledge gained and the liberal use of primary sources in translation largely compensate for the breadth of the material covered.

Great reading material

My review is not about the content of the book but about the production of the audiobook. If ever there were a time not to use a computerized reader, a book about the Aztecs in English is it. The pronunciation of the names of gods, people, and cities in this reading is not only incorrect, it is also distracting and hard to listen to. I think this is worth mentioning because it was a missed opportunity to help newcomers with pronunciation and because, since the book is so short, it's hard to understand the value of paying for the audiobook in this case.

Exactly what it says, brief but informative

Good

as expected

I find Very Short Introductions clear, impartial and to the point.

Concise and informative.