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Aztecs & Conquistadores is an absolutely gorgeous 184 page, hardback book covering the Spanish invasion of Mexico and subsequent collapse of the Aztec empire. The book begins with a timeline and is then divided into sections covering: Background To The War, Warring Sides, The Spanish Invasion of Mexico, and New Spain and New Legacies, with the bulk of the book consisting of the second and third sections.
Written at a high school to adult level the text is extremely detailed. There is a great deal of focus on the training and lives of the men on both sides of the war. I enjoyed this approach as it allowed for a better understanding of those involved. In my opinion, the greatest asset of this book is the amount and quality of visual support for the writing. Nearly every page has a photograph, map, artistic rendering or diagram. Photographs of artifacts and armor, artist's depictions of battles and diagrams of temples make the writing come to life. Though the book is written at an advanced level, the pictures are a wonderful resource for younger learners.
This book is a definite asset to any home library. Because of the subject matter it does cover discuss beliefs of gods and demons and includes some "gory" battle paintings. I can see this book being read by a parent who then shares the information and relevant pictures with their child. A high school student could use it independently as an excellent resource.
-- Product Review by Dena Wood, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, February, 2006
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