Cities of Ancient Mexico: Reconstructing a Lost World

by Jeremy A. Sabloff

In a series of vignettes, Professor Sabloff describes what it would have been like to have lived during the heyday of Mexico's greatest cities. Through the eyes of astronomers and ballplayers, merchants and priests, we see the temples, palaces, and tombs of a civilization obsessed with ritual and death. 152 illustrations.

Genres: Anthropology, History, Class

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1989

Reviews

[Bernie4444]

A 1989 look at ancient Mexico

History changes so this is not the latest. However, it gives a good overview of what people thought ancient Mexico was back in the last century.

We cover Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec.

Do not look for color pictures as they are all in black and white. You lose a dimension without the color. However, I have been to some of the cities and museums so they are just placeholders for me.

There are quite a few diagrams, 152 illustrations, that help put the writing in perspective.

Keep in mind that this is from the perspective of the author Jeremy A. Sabloff. The book is 1989; however, he picked up most of his information in the 60s and 70s.

The book is divided into three sections:
Part One: What were the cities like?
Part Two: What were their origins?
Part Three: How do we know?

[Gigi McCullar]

This is a great book if you need to travel but find yourself house bound. The ruins are absolutely fascinating!