Fifth Sun

A New History of the Aztecs

De: Camilla Townsend

Narrado por: Christina Delaine

In November 1519, Hernando Cortes 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 following the narrative offered by the Spaniards.

After all, we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were intrigued by the Roman alphabet and, unbeknownst to the newcomers, they used it to write detailed histories in their own language of Nahuatl. Until recently, these sources remained obscure, only partially translated, and rarely consulted by scholars.

For the first time, in Fifth Sun, the history of the Aztecs is offered in all its complexity based solely on the texts written by the indigenous people themselves. Camilla Townsend presents an accessible and humanized depiction of these native Mexicans, rather than seeing them as the exotic, bloody figures of European stereotypes.

The conquest, in this work, is neither an apocalyptic moment, nor an origin story launching Mexicans into existence. The Mexica people had a history of their own long before the Europeans arrived and did not simply capitulate to Spanish culture and colonization. Instead, they realigned their political allegiances, accommodated new obligations, adopted new technologies, and endured.

©2019 Oxford University Press (P)2020 Tantor

Narrative history with academic depth

Exciting telling of famous historical moments from the origins of the Mexica to the fall of the Aztecs, with detailed sources

Fantastic, but too short!

A really excellent, interesting and unique history and an amazing story. Narration is impressive with lots of difficult Nahuatl names and phrases.

Great Book

Well written, enjoyable! Narration can get annoying - woman tries to impersonate male voice.

Refreshing

For centuries, scholars have relied on European accounts of the encounter of two worlds that occurred when Indigenous nations allied themselves with Spanish invaders to topple the so-called Triple Alliance of Mexico-Tenochtitlán, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. Camilla Townsend revisits this story, and widens its scope, to tell it through Indigenous eyes. By relying on Indigenous language sources, she adds to the ongoing work of questioning existing narratives that are driven by Eurocentric perspectives. An additional bonus for this audiobook is the thorough and incredibly helpful bibliography. Independent scholars will find this particularly useful, as sources can be hard to find and difficult to navigate. Lastly, the narrator has obviously taken the time and made a valiant effort when it comes to Náhuatl pronunciation. It is incredibly refreshing to see this degree of diligence and respect paid to the Náhuatl language, it is not unnoticed and very much appreciated. Wonderful book!

A Riveting book

An interesting survey level history of the Aztec Empire from creation to the downfall of the Mexica Empire to the Spanish. And ending with the grandchildren, as colonization began to take a more imperial turn.

Overall, an easy read, and full of great information. Highly Recommended. Narration includes spellings of Mexica/Nahuatl Names, which is a great bonus.

Fascinating tales and presentation

This is a very rich and detailed history of the period. It starts a bit slow but with each new account a much more vivid picture of the age is revealed. This book covers so much that I had not learned before. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Really good

Really good history, research, and writing. This book was a great introduction to Aztec history.

Sun Soaked & Incredibly Rich History

Truly a wonderful delving into an indigenous history that was either washed over or bulldozed with pathetic lies.

This is merely a jumping off point or anchor for myself, but for anyone looking for a touch point into rectifying the white washed history they learned as children and young adults… this is a great book to start with.

And it’s a wonderfully rich history, sun and blood soaked.

an eye opening book

as a mexican who was taught v little from its own prehispanic history i find the words "so future generations remember" very painful for we have actually forgot but thanks to this book, i hope to start mending my fault and i actually began to share this with others. thank you so much for making this book and for the narrator for their amazing work.

An enthralling dive

An excellent exploration of the history of precolumbian and early modern mexico, relying on solid scholarship and a dizzing array of native testimonies and writings. The narrative is perfectly weaved, allowing us to experience the birth and fall of an empire as if we inhabited it, and the struggles of its people time passing. A gem and a breath of fresh air in the genre of pre-columbian studies.