Batterberry, Michael and Ariane Ruskin,
Primitive Art
. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973. This book is an excellent source of information on better understanding human social life. It contains many stimulating plates that can be used in class.
Braden, Charles.
Religious Aspects of the Conquest of Mexico.
Durham, North Carolina: Duke University, 1930. This text gives an excellent description of the religion of the MesoAmerican Indians. It also goes into the religious practices and the similarities between the Mexican religions and Christianity. Superb reading.
Brenner, Anita.
The Wind that Swe
p
t Mexico
. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1971. Only one hundred pages of text on the Mexican Revolution (1910-1942) with one hundred eighty-four historical news photographs. This is a good text to use when explaining the Mexican struggle.
Caso, Alfonso.
The Aztecs: People of the Sun
. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958. Fabulous fountain of historical facts about the Aztecs. It deals with the character of the Aztec religion along with the many gods and their legends. A must reading.
Coe, Michael D.
The Ja
g
uar’s Children: Pre-Classic Central Mexico.
Greenwich, Connecticut: The N.Y. Graphic Society, 1965. This book discusses in detail the were-jaguar. It is full of color illustrations of Pre-classic Central Mexico. Very informative.
Covarrubias, Miguel.
Indian Art of Mexico and Central America
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1957. This text, written by a renowned Mexican artist, emphasizes the common traits that are present and absent in the civilizations of the North, Middle, and South. It also includes many drawings by this artist.
D’az de Castillo, Bernal,
Historia verdadera de la conquistada de la Nueva Espa–a.
South America: Fernández Editorial, ND. Incredible book written in Spanish from first hand knowledge of the conquest. It includes bibliographies on most of the first books written on Mexico along with a bibliography on the indigenous characters of Mexican History.
Fehrenbach, T.R.
Fire and Blood
. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1973. Another excellent account of the atrocities of the tyrannies that have enslaved the Mexican people. It contains valuable historical information.
Gibson, Charles.
The Aztec Under Spanish Rule
. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1964. A history of the Indians of the Valley of Mexico between 1519-1810. It describes how the Indians were converted.
Hunt, Eva.
The Transformation of the Hummingbird.
Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1977. This is a fascinating account of a Zinacantecan mythical poem. It includes much symbolism, myth, and ritual.
Keen, Benjamin.
The Aztec Image in Western Thought
. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers’ University Press, 1971. This book attempts in a non-technical way to give an account of Aztec life and thought. It also dwells on Aztec influences and images on Western ideas.
Sanders, William and Barbara J. Price.
Mesoamerica: The Evolution of a Civilization
, New York: Random House, 1968. This is a text on the theory of civilization. It concerns itself with the processes of growth that cause urbanization.
Soustelle, Jacques.
Arts of Ancient Mexico
, N.Y.: Viking Press, 1966. This text includes two hundred six photographs on Mexican art. It also provides an excellent ancient map of Mexico. A wonderful reference book.
Soustelle, Jacques.
Daily Life of the Aztecs on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest
. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1961.
Wonderful description of the city, the society, the world, the man, and his relationship to time on the eve of the Spanish conquest. Fantastic reading which comes highly recommended.
Thompson, J. Eric.
Mexico before Córtez.
New York: Charles Scriber’s Sons, 1933. This text depicts the daily life, religion, and ritual practices of the Aztecs. It includes many awesome plates on the gods. Highly recommended.
Von Hagen, Victor Wolfgang.
The Aztec: Man and Tribe
. New York: New American Library, 1961. A revealing archaeological history of the Aztecs with many startling contrasts.
Weaver, Muriel Porter.
The Aztecs, Mayas, and Their Predecessors: Archaelogy of Mesoamerica
. New York: Seminar Press, Inc., 1972. An Outstanding publication with extensive illustrations that include maps, plates, and charts. It dwells on the sequence of events by geographical areas while emphasizing the cultural changes and trends.
