Research Catalog

Fifth sun : a new history of the Aztecs

Title
Fifth sun : a new history of the Aztecs / Camilla Townsend.
Author
Townsend, Camilla, 1965-
Publication
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019]

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JFE 20-3159Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
xii, 320 pages : illustrations, maps, genealogical table; 25 cm
Summary
"Five hundred years ago, in November 1519, Hernando Cortés walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story--and the story of what happened afterwards--has been told many times, but always from the point of view of the Europeans. After all, we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were more intrigued by the Roman alphabet than the Spaniards ever knew. Unbeknownst to the newcomers, the Aztecs took it home and used it to write detailed histories in their own language of Nahuatl. Until recently, these sources remained obscure, only partially translated, and almost never consulted by scholars. For the first time, in Fifth Sun, the history of the Aztecs is offered in all its complexity, in an account based solely on the texts written by the people themselves. The Aztecs suddenly appear as real people, rather than the exotic, bloody figures of stereotypes. The conquest is neither an apocalyptic moment, nor an origin story launching Mexicans into existence. This book presents the story of Native Americans who had a history of their own long before the Europeans arrived and who used their talents to survive when the worst of times came upon them. It shows people who realigned their political allegiances, accommodated new obligations, adopted new technologies (such as alphabetic writing and European paper), and carried on. This revisionist history of the Aztecs explores the experience of a once-powerful people facing the trauma of conquest--as well as their survival and continuity--offering an accessible and humanized depiction of a civilization for experts and non-specialists alike."--Provided by publisher.
Subjects
Genre/Form
History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
The trail from the Seven Caves (before 1299) -- People of the valley (1350s-1450s) -- The city on the lake (1470-1518) -- Strangers to us people here -- A war to end all wars (1520-1521) -- Early days (1520s-1550s) -- Crisis: the Indians talk back (1560s) -- The grandchildren (1570s-1620s) -- Epilogue -- Appendix: How scholars study the Aztecs.
Call Number
JFE 20-3159
ISBN
  • 9780190673062
  • 0190673060
  • 9780190673086 (canceled/invalid)
  • 9780190673079 (canceled/invalid)
LCCN
  • 2019003623
  • 40029538641
OCLC
1083699267
Author
Townsend, Camilla, 1965- author.
Title
Fifth sun : a new history of the Aztecs / Camilla Townsend.
Publisher
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019]
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Chronological Term
1519-1540
Other Form:
Online version: Townsend, Camilla, 1965- Fifth sun. New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019] 9780190673079 (DLC) 2019004887
Other Standard Identifier
40029538641
Research Call Number
JFE 20-3159
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