What do you think?
Rate this book
Aztec & Maya: The Complete Illustrated History
Aztec & The Complete Illustrated History details the greatest civilizations of ancient Central America with 1000 photographs, paintings, and maps. Uncovers the rise and fall of the many different empires of Mexico and Central America – their political and military campaigns, their legends and myths, and their art, architecture and social history Ground plans and detailed photographs explore over 20 magnificent and vitally important World Heritage sites, including Teotihuacán, Tenochtitlán, Chichén Itzá, Palenque, Tikal and Monte Albán Surveys the region’s mythology, including tales of creation, earth and sky; legends of the gods, goddesses and heroes; and stories of fertility, harvest and the afterlife.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2004
59 people are currently reading
699 people want to read
About the author
Charles Phillips
464 books23 followersThere is more than one author by this name on Goodreads
Charles Phillips (b. 1962) is an established writer of popular history, a contributor to Cassell's Dictionary of Modern Britain as well as to the Chronicle of Britain and several illustrated stories.
He has a keen interest in the mythology and history of the great Maya and Aztec civilizations and was a key writer on Time Life's Myth and Mankind series.
Phillips is a graduate of Oxford University, and holds an MA from the University of Westminster.
See also:
Charles Phillips, 1787-1859
Charles Phillips, Goodreads author, Historical Fiction
Charles Phillips, b.1948, American history
Charles Phillips (b. 1962) is an established writer of popular history, a contributor to Cassell's Dictionary of Modern Britain as well as to the Chronicle of Britain and several illustrated stories.
He has a keen interest in the mythology and history of the great Maya and Aztec civilizations and was a key writer on Time Life's Myth and Mankind series.
Phillips is a graduate of Oxford University, and holds an MA from the University of Westminster.
See also:
Charles Phillips, 1787-1859
Charles Phillips, Goodreads author, Historical Fiction
Charles Phillips, b.1948, American history
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 29, 2018
This was an excellent and very in-depth overview of Aztec and Maya culture, history, architecture, art, religion, writing, you name it... Since my mom is Honduran, I have some connection to Maya culture and wanted to know more. I’ve even visited some of the ancient ruins in the book, climbed the pyramid of the moon, and heard my family talk about how they admire the Maya. It was fun to see pictures and remember being in those places as a kid.
I had no idea so much of the histories of these cultures has been totally lost. The combination of the destructive Spanish conquest and sheer passage of time in overgrown jungle has simply wiped out huge swaths of historical and cultural context. From reading this book—my first look into ancient Mesoamerican cultures—it seems like we know far less about these cultures than about the ancient Egyptians, for example. For there to be so many unanswered questions and gaps in knowledge about such rich civilizations is truly amazing.
The book was a bit repetitive sometimes, bringing up the same facts in chapters about religion, cities, and art, etc. But that can be forgiven, with there being relatively little to go off of. Plus, I don’t think this is a book that’s meant to be read cover to cover, but used as a reference.
I also liked the context provided for these cultures’ infamous sacrificial rituals. Their obsession with human sacrifice and belief in the magical power of blood (and the heart) seems less like barbaric cannibalism and more like naturalistic mysticism. Given the highly dangerous and dark jungle that surrounded them, it makes sense that their gods would be terrifying and unpredictable, demanding human sacrifice to calm the fierce natural forces that both threatened and nourished the Maya and Aztec. Venerating the predators (panther, snake, eagle) and considering human sacrifice a privilege, both part of how these cultures saw themselves fitting into the order of the cosmos.
I had no idea so much of the histories of these cultures has been totally lost. The combination of the destructive Spanish conquest and sheer passage of time in overgrown jungle has simply wiped out huge swaths of historical and cultural context. From reading this book—my first look into ancient Mesoamerican cultures—it seems like we know far less about these cultures than about the ancient Egyptians, for example. For there to be so many unanswered questions and gaps in knowledge about such rich civilizations is truly amazing.
The book was a bit repetitive sometimes, bringing up the same facts in chapters about religion, cities, and art, etc. But that can be forgiven, with there being relatively little to go off of. Plus, I don’t think this is a book that’s meant to be read cover to cover, but used as a reference.
I also liked the context provided for these cultures’ infamous sacrificial rituals. Their obsession with human sacrifice and belief in the magical power of blood (and the heart) seems less like barbaric cannibalism and more like naturalistic mysticism. Given the highly dangerous and dark jungle that surrounded them, it makes sense that their gods would be terrifying and unpredictable, demanding human sacrifice to calm the fierce natural forces that both threatened and nourished the Maya and Aztec. Venerating the predators (panther, snake, eagle) and considering human sacrifice a privilege, both part of how these cultures saw themselves fitting into the order of the cosmos.
January 9, 2011
The book has many photographs to illustrate, and a concise narrative to describe, the impressive history of ancient Mexico. While the focus is on the Aztec and Maya, the book also covers the other major groups that preceded or were otherwise associated with them - the cultures of the Olmec, Mixtec, Toltec and Zapotec.
While the author states that humans first arrived in Mexico as early as 21,000 BCE, it's not clear how settled that date is. In addition to serving as tombs, the pyramids were "sacred stone mountains" with temples on top that served as cave-like entrances into a sacred world. As the gods gave of themselves to create humankind, the Aztecs believed they must return the practice through human sacrifice in order to sustain the cosmos. Duality (night/day; heat/cold,etc.) played a significant role in understanding the world (and maintaining balance?). Sacrificial victims were treated with reverence as they would become messengers to the gods. The Aztec kings were the earthly embodiment of deities.
Of the many "art works" that stood out: Olmec statutes that seemed different(almost Polynesian?) than other representations of humans and deities; priests who, as Xipe (the god of planting), wore the flayed skins of sacrificial victims; and the particularly distinctive chacmool figure that held the freshly carved out hearts of those who were sacrificed. This central role of human sacrifice in Mexico's distant past raises questions about what it means to be human and, specifically, how inborn propensities (fear) coupled with mind (imagination) might lead to such practices.
This is an excellent book to keep around for future reference.
While the author states that humans first arrived in Mexico as early as 21,000 BCE, it's not clear how settled that date is. In addition to serving as tombs, the pyramids were "sacred stone mountains" with temples on top that served as cave-like entrances into a sacred world. As the gods gave of themselves to create humankind, the Aztecs believed they must return the practice through human sacrifice in order to sustain the cosmos. Duality (night/day; heat/cold,etc.) played a significant role in understanding the world (and maintaining balance?). Sacrificial victims were treated with reverence as they would become messengers to the gods. The Aztec kings were the earthly embodiment of deities.
Of the many "art works" that stood out: Olmec statutes that seemed different(almost Polynesian?) than other representations of humans and deities; priests who, as Xipe (the god of planting), wore the flayed skins of sacrificial victims; and the particularly distinctive chacmool figure that held the freshly carved out hearts of those who were sacrificed. This central role of human sacrifice in Mexico's distant past raises questions about what it means to be human and, specifically, how inborn propensities (fear) coupled with mind (imagination) might lead to such practices.
This is an excellent book to keep around for future reference.
June 28, 2021
A good intro text to a broad subject (Aztec, Maya, and a little bit of other Mesoamerican cultures), but not a scholarly work in any meaningful sense.
The book includes a wide spread of topics. Oddly (to me), for a notoriously "war-like" culture like the Aztecs, the discussions of warfare seemed perfunctory. They didn't even include an image of a macuahuitl or tepoztopilli, nor discuss the what would be strange-to-us way that warriors went out onto the battlefield (some elite warriors wearing suits covered with brightly-colored feathers (tlahuiztli)).
I also thought topics like language were really only just glossed over.
The decision to do a two-page treatment per topic was a little limiting, and they ended up addressing some topics multiple times, scattering them through the text. Not copy/pasting, but you will see certain subjects discussed multiple times in multiple places when condensing them into one section would have been, for me, preferable.
Even with these things I didn't like so much, it's still a book I'd recommend for a starting place for Aztec and/or Mayan history.
The book includes a wide spread of topics. Oddly (to me), for a notoriously "war-like" culture like the Aztecs, the discussions of warfare seemed perfunctory. They didn't even include an image of a macuahuitl or tepoztopilli, nor discuss the what would be strange-to-us way that warriors went out onto the battlefield (some elite warriors wearing suits covered with brightly-colored feathers (tlahuiztli)).
I also thought topics like language were really only just glossed over.
The decision to do a two-page treatment per topic was a little limiting, and they ended up addressing some topics multiple times, scattering them through the text. Not copy/pasting, but you will see certain subjects discussed multiple times in multiple places when condensing them into one section would have been, for me, preferable.
Even with these things I didn't like so much, it's still a book I'd recommend for a starting place for Aztec and/or Mayan history.
January 13, 2018
Everything you want to know about the Aztecs and Mayans.
reference
March 12, 2017Super helpful for everything Aztec and Maya
October 28, 2019
I read this book prior to my upcoming trip to see many of the top Mayan and Aztec ruins. I was looking for a book that detailed their history. Unfortunately, this book spent far more time talking about weavers and craftsmen (which I suppose is history) than actual historical events. The vast majority of the book is in topics that never span more than two pages. It is often the case, especially in the first half of the book, that these topics are just all over the place and don't seem to be organized at all. I would say of the historical accounts described in this book, about 70% are the mythological histories of the people. Long story short, I think this book completely fails as a history book of the Mayans and Aztecs.
I suspect the author is a liberal because he couldn't stop making excuses for the brutal religious practices of the native people while being critical of the Europeans. It was constant. Every time he would describe how vicious they were (they would cut out the hearts of people, flay their skin so the priest could wear the skin for a month, sacrifice children, and eat them to name a few atrocities), he would defend them basically saying that it is fine because they were really religious and were super respectful to the people they were about to sacrifice, wear their skin around, and eat. But Cortes showing up and desecrating a temple? Now that is really bad. Spanish priests destroying the religious texts of the native population? That's basically a crime against humanity. I believe it was right before Cortes showed up that the Aztecs sacrificed 80,000 in four days.
There were a lot of pictures in the book which were mostly good.
The random thing I laughed at in this book was that there was a king called Jaguar Penis.
I suspect the author is a liberal because he couldn't stop making excuses for the brutal religious practices of the native people while being critical of the Europeans. It was constant. Every time he would describe how vicious they were (they would cut out the hearts of people, flay their skin so the priest could wear the skin for a month, sacrifice children, and eat them to name a few atrocities), he would defend them basically saying that it is fine because they were really religious and were super respectful to the people they were about to sacrifice, wear their skin around, and eat. But Cortes showing up and desecrating a temple? Now that is really bad. Spanish priests destroying the religious texts of the native population? That's basically a crime against humanity. I believe it was right before Cortes showed up that the Aztecs sacrificed 80,000 in four days.
There were a lot of pictures in the book which were mostly good.
The random thing I laughed at in this book was that there was a king called Jaguar Penis.
September 19, 2020
What’s a chocmool? (A large reclining figure of stone with a bowl on its chest, where the priest could place the ripped out heart of sacrificial victims.) How about a sacbe? (A sacred road.) Okay, I learned a great deal about the Aztec and Mayan communities by reading this book. Having finished it, I’m convinced the book was not designed to be read straight through. It’s organized in neat, two to four page sections, occasionally one page sections, and is divided into chapters, It’s quite repetitive, in that facts and concepts appear more than once in various parts of the text. Each time sacbe are discussed, we find the definition, for example. It seems to have been designed as a coffee table book, to be picked up and browsed from time do time, divided into short sections easily readable in a single brief setting. This isn’t a complaint. It’s by design, I think. Full of photographs of artwork and sites, it is a beautiful volume; and yes, quite susceptible to quick and short browsings. Highly speculative, as we don’t seem to really know much. Much of the literature known to have existed was destroyed by the Spaniards. I believe four codexes from before first contact still exist, with the rest being destroyed. A number of codexes were created post contact, either by the Conquistadors and those who accompanied them, or by native peoples influenced by the same. Over all I enjoyed reading it and learning from it.
July 19, 2024
Aztec & Maya – The Complete Illustrated History – Published 2004 - ***** - Just what my curious mind ordered – a book on Mesoamerica histories, culture, building and every day life in bite size two page sections. I loved being able to pick and choose the areas of interest to me via the well broken out Contents outline at the beginning of the book. Some have criticized the book for its lack of depth and some repetition. I was looking for an introductory book and this hit the nail on the head. I also loved the 1,000 pictures. One improvement I would suggest is a phonetic for each of the names. Some I gave up pronouncing to myself in my head and others I am sure I butchered to oblivion. Did I read the entire book – no. But I read the parts that were of interest to me, about two thirds of the book. Others reviewers criticized the Spanish trashing – well – they deserve it. Ruining the history of entire long term civilizations so they could haul gold back to Spain or to rid the world of demon documents. Shame on them. Great job on a huge effort. Thanks Charles Phillips.
December 28, 2020
Great resource for a general idea of the history of what we refer to as Mesoamerica and the civilizations that inhabited it before being conquered by Spaniards in the 1500’s.
If you are looking for a timeline, information about building of civilizations and development from hunter-gathered to settlement you will enjoy this as a factual account / resource guide. I imagine you could use this encyclopedia to build a general understanding and use topics you learned or became interested in from this book to seek out more detailed explanations on smaller portions from other resources.
The illustrations are plentiful and paint a great picture, especially combined with the maps and boundaries provided throughout.
If you are looking for a timeline, information about building of civilizations and development from hunter-gathered to settlement you will enjoy this as a factual account / resource guide. I imagine you could use this encyclopedia to build a general understanding and use topics you learned or became interested in from this book to seek out more detailed explanations on smaller portions from other resources.
The illustrations are plentiful and paint a great picture, especially combined with the maps and boundaries provided throughout.
September 22, 2021
I have been excited by my new acquisition and have searched it extensively already. I have found an admirable extent of material within the covers. Initially I looked askance at the title promising “The Complete Illustrated History”.
I have found a few surprises in my search: (1) the index seems to be rather extensive. (2) all of the contributors of illustrations seem to be duly credited in the Acknowledgements section, by title and page exhibited. (3) I could find no bibliography nor any indication of the origin of source material (e.g. footnotes/endnotes). (I suppose that we must allow that the author is an expert on this material in his own right, but I am doubtful of the full extent. The breadth of interests manifest in his publications does not admit of the necessary expertise. I encountered many detailed descriptions that surely must have originated somewhere else, or been interpretations of carvings, illustrations, or texts found somewhere. ).
Finally, setting aside any faults that might exist, the text is interesting and well organized. I just hope that it is totally complete and acurate.
Unfortunately, this was initially shelved as read merely because I paused to comment upon it. I have returned it to status of in-process.
I have found a few surprises in my search: (1) the index seems to be rather extensive. (2) all of the contributors of illustrations seem to be duly credited in the Acknowledgements section, by title and page exhibited. (3) I could find no bibliography nor any indication of the origin of source material (e.g. footnotes/endnotes). (I suppose that we must allow that the author is an expert on this material in his own right, but I am doubtful of the full extent. The breadth of interests manifest in his publications does not admit of the necessary expertise. I encountered many detailed descriptions that surely must have originated somewhere else, or been interpretations of carvings, illustrations, or texts found somewhere. ).
Finally, setting aside any faults that might exist, the text is interesting and well organized. I just hope that it is totally complete and acurate.
Unfortunately, this was initially shelved as read merely because I paused to comment upon it. I have returned it to status of in-process.
April 22, 2024
I have recently become enamored and fascinated by Mesoamerican culture as I have taken more trips to Mexico. This book scratched that itch to learn more about and very well.
It covered the Spanish invasion and Hernan Cortes. It very descriptively covered the architecture, calendar , astronomy advancements, social fabric, law and order, sports, sculptures and art of these amazing ancient civilizations. It also covered the macabre blood sacrifices which was hard to read especially since I was visualizing those disturbing (but accurate) scenes from the movie Apocalypto.
Overall, a great read if you are interested in learning about the Mayan, Aztec and other Mesoamerican civilizations.
It covered the Spanish invasion and Hernan Cortes. It very descriptively covered the architecture, calendar , astronomy advancements, social fabric, law and order, sports, sculptures and art of these amazing ancient civilizations. It also covered the macabre blood sacrifices which was hard to read especially since I was visualizing those disturbing (but accurate) scenes from the movie Apocalypto.
Overall, a great read if you are interested in learning about the Mayan, Aztec and other Mesoamerican civilizations.
August 19, 2025
I'm glad I read it. The author used multiple stories of myth, folklore and historical records that kept my attention focused on their culture. I was surprised and appalled at how vicious their religious ceremonies were. I would caution readers that the graphic descriptions and depictions of human sacrifice are a common occurrence. I finished the book wanting to learn more about how they accomplished incredible works of art, architecture and commerce.
November 17, 2017
Absolutely wonderful and thorough book on the complete aspects of not only the Aztec and Mayans, but also the Olmecs, Toltecs and many other civilizations. All aspects of society is covered-family, trade, war, art, architecture, science and more. Excellent photos that should make each reader want to visit one or more of these locations. Well done.
June 21, 2018
This book is split in two parts: History and myth.
I really enjoyed the history part, but had trouble getting through the myth part; mainly for personal reasons I believe, as I'm more interested in the history of the Mexica than their native myths.
Overall this book is well-written and informative, with lots of colour photographs to complement the text.
I really enjoyed the history part, but had trouble getting through the myth part; mainly for personal reasons I believe, as I'm more interested in the history of the Mexica than their native myths.
Overall this book is well-written and informative, with lots of colour photographs to complement the text.
December 10, 2018
Very thorough. I liked how the author looked at each aspect of these civilizations from several angles. Beautiful illustrations and photos, although it was frustrating that there was often a detailed description of an artifact paired with a picture of a completely different artifact.
November 9, 2024
Solid introduction, with plenty of details about the life, religion, and stories of the Maya and Aztecs, with a bit of classic history inserted too. Very beautiful book too, with plenty of images, which are a great addition to the text. Great place to start if interested in the topic.
April 17, 2019
Read around this book for a school project. What I read was informative and maybe I'll read the entirety later.
March 9, 2022
Fascinating history of the Mesoamericans. Wide range of topics, excellent photos. This book served me well during my research for my adventure mystery-thriller novel, "The Tempest In Glass."
July 14, 2022
I am obsessed with Aztec and maya history so naturally
August 10, 2022
I just finished reading this! Absolutely amazing! I learned so much!
January 3, 2023
A fantastic encyclopaedia that greatly furthered my knowledge and research and has opened up many new research possibilities for the future.
August 3, 2024
Didn't enjoy this one as much as the Greek or Roman encyclopedias but still enjoyed it
November 13, 2024
Useful reference.
November 16, 2014
A fascinating book about the cultures of mesoamerica. Includes mostly two page articles about a huge variety of subjects, myth and religion, everyday life and society, geography and architecture etc.
The emphasis, however, seems to be very much on myth and religion.
This book has a huge amount of pictures, and it's worth its price for those alone.
On the minus side, as with most books on history really, the maps are not very useful, while the text is full of references to different locations. You could just as well replace most of the place names with "some place" without losing any useful information.
The emphasis, however, seems to be very much on myth and religion.
This book has a huge amount of pictures, and it's worth its price for those alone.
On the minus side, as with most books on history really, the maps are not very useful, while the text is full of references to different locations. You could just as well replace most of the place names with "some place" without losing any useful information.
October 23, 2009
This book is very,very interesting. I really love to learn about my culture and of all it wonders. This book will be great to anyone that is willing to read for a good period of time and that will understand it. Again this book is great and if u think u could understand it really well and love this culture or just plainly like reading this is for you.FIVE STARS ***** >:]
February 4, 2011
Good reference for surface info and a bit of detail. Doesn't really delve into the culture so much as a catalogue of archaelogical evidence and some mythology. Nothing about societal workings (i.e., marriage customs, family group customs aside from religious possibilities) also assumes religious significance for all art - doesn't really allow for the possibility of art for enjoyment/beauty.
March 29, 2009
"A coffee table book with over 1000 pictures, diagrams and maps. There is also enough material to read it straight through as well. The material bounces around between topical areas like art, government, buildings, etc. and doesn't make much effort to disntinguish between the two cultures."
April 2, 2012
Incredibly rich in detail! The images are wonderful and almost every aspect of life, ritual, religion and conquest for the Aztec and Maya was covered. A good read for anyone wanting to learn about these societies or who wants a larger scope of information.
August 9, 2019
As a fiction writer this book is my bible for my current work in progress. Thanks so much to Charles Phillips for bringing us this pristine collection of information. I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 to show how much I love enjoy and still utilize this book.
November 5, 2009
Surprisingly, the text quality matches the beautiful pictures.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews