Susan Kellogg's history of the Aztecs offers a concise yet comprehensive assessment of Aztec history and civilization, emphasizing how material life and the economy functioned in relation to politics, religion, and intellectual and artistic developments. Appreciating the vast number of sources available but also their limitations, Kellogg focuses on three concepts throughout – value, transformation, and balance. Aztecs created value, material, and symbolic worth. Value was created through transformations of bodies, things, and ideas. The overall goal of value creation and transformation was to keep the Aztec world—the cosmos, the earth, its inhabitants—in balance, a balance often threatened by spiritual and other forms of chaos. The book highlights the ethnicities that constituted Aztec peoples and sheds light on religion, political and economic organization, gender, sexuality and family life, intellectual achievements, and survival. Seeking to correct common misperceptions, Kellogg stresses the humanity of the Aztecs and problematizes the use of the terms 'human sacrifice', 'myth', and 'conquest'.

Winner, 2025 Judy Ewell Award, Rocky Mountain Council for Latin American Studies

‘In this indispensable guide to the Aztec world, Kellogg skillfully weaves deep context and essential information with humane understanding and rich detail. Not only an essential book for students, but also a readable introduction for anyone interested in this remarkable civilization.’

Caroline Dodds Pennock - author of On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered the World

‘Aztec civilization has been crying out for rehabilitation since the Spanish invasion. That work is finally underway, and here Susan Kellogg makes a major contribution to it, using incision and insight to bestow a believable humanity on the Aztec people.’

Matthew Restall - author of When Montezuma Met Cortés

‘An impressively researched and well-executed volume that includes figures, maps, tables, an essential mostly Nahauatl-language glossary, and a bibliographic essay … Designed as a concise yet comprehensive text for students and general readers, this volume also provides valuable insights for scholars and teachers … Highly recommended.’

C. C. Kolb Source: Choice

‘Another excellent volume in Cambridge University Press's Concise History series. The series is intended to render complex subjects accessible to the educated general public, and Kellogg has worked hard to ensure that her book is both comprehensible and comprehensive.’

Camilla Townsend Source: Pacific Historical Review