This is my Pre-Columbian America page, which lists all those books about Pre-Columbian America that I’ve found handy in the course of writing my short and long fiction. Of course, this is an open-ended list, which I intend to keep updating as I read books.

Most of the focus is on the Aztec culture, which is the one in which I’ve written the most stories, but I also include some books on the Mayas and on the Incas.

The blue butterflies ( ) denote books accessible for someone who knows little about the culture, and who doesn’t need more than a smattering of information to give authentic flavour to, say, a secondary-world fantasy.

I’ve tried to include history books as well as literature from the time period–which I always think is very reflective of the mindset. The rating in stars is over five, and reflects mainly how much I’ve found myself turning to the book as I writing or researching for future writing.

Click here for my list of general historical books, and here for my list of books on China.

Are you looking for information related to Aztec culture, to use in your fiction? Contact me, and I’ll do my best to give you some pointers.

  • General
    • Mexicolore

      • The homepage for a UK-based team devoted to bringing the Aztecs and Mesoamericans into the classroom. Aside from the well thought-out activities, this is packed with handy information on everything from the evolution of Maya pyramids to Aztec gods. Definitely recommended, whether for a first stop or for more obsessive detail.
    • Handbook to Life in the Aztec World, Manuel Aguilar-Moreno, Oxford University Press, 2007
      • Hands-down the best book about the Aztecs that I’ve found. It’s lavishly illustrated, with maps of the Mexico Valley and of Tenochtitlan that are actually to scale (you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find a to-scale map of the Mexico Valley on the Internet). Covers everything from politics to religion and the different tactics of war. Also a very good section on clothes, food and misc. useful daily life facts. It also has a comprehensive index. I’m filing it under general because it also includes a discussion of Aztec history and Aztec art, as well as descriptions of the major archaelogical sites.
    • The Aztecs: a History, Nigel Davies, University of Oklahoma Press, 1980
      • This sets out to recount the history of the Aztecs from their arrival into the Valley of Mexico to the last years, and it does it well and in a clear manner. An invaluable introduction to the time period and the chronology.
    • Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World, Lynn V. Foster , Oxford University Press, 2005
      • This is from the same series as the Handbook to Life in the Aztec World, but I find it a little less impressive. This is probably because there isn’t as much archaelogical or textual evidence about the Mayas as there is about the Aztecs, and also because the time period covered is much greater and a good deal less organised: the Aztecs were a cohesive empire, the Mayas were a loose group of city-states spread over a vast region. Nevertheless, this does a good job of summarising what we know about the Mayas. As in Handbook to Life in the Aztec World, this has themed sections on a variety of subjects, detailed maps and descriptions of the major sites. Also a handy index.
    • The Complete Illustrated History of the Aztec and Maya, Charles Phillips, Metro Books (Anness Publishing), 2008
      • A very handy overview of Mesoamerican culture (Aztec, Maya, Mixtec…) by subject. Lavishly illustrated, with handy maps, descriptions of the yearly round of festivals, and a rather unusual discussion of the terrain and how it varied across the seasons (flooding, etc.). The subjects covered range from mythology to art, in a rather desultory fashion–but the index is very well done and there’s always a way to find what you’re looking for. (note: I’ve seen about three or four versions of this book–be sure to take the ones that have the full 24 chapters rather than the earlier editions, which were much shorter).
    • The Maya, Michael D. Coe, Thames & Hudson, 1999
      • A good history of the Maya, with a discussion of art and architecture over the different periods of Maya history. Also has a description of the main historical sites and good black-and-white pictures. It doesn’t have much on daily life, though.
    • The Lost History of the Incas, David M Jones, Hermes House, 2007
      • In the same series as the Phillips book just above. It’s also lavishly illustrated and very clear, and a good overview. Beware, though, a good portion of it is devoted to Andean cultures and not just the Incas–in spite of the misleading title.
  • Daily Life
    • Everyday Life of the Aztecs, Warwick Bray, B. T. Batsford Ltd/G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1968
      • A neat book about daily life among the Aztecs, with nice illustrations and a clear text. Originally aimed at children, but amazingly detailed compared to today’s children’ books. If you don’t need the level of detail that Aguilar-Moreno provides in his Handbook to Life in the Aztec World (and you probably won’t need that unless you’re writing in a historical setting and looking up very specific questions), this is well worth checking out.
    • Daily Life of the Aztecs, Jacques Soustelle, Weidenfeld & Nicolson , 2002
      • This is another book about daily life among the Aztecs, which is very well-documented and very well thought-out, though I must confess it’s a bit dry for my personal tastes (no illustrations, and the text is sometimes a little too scholarly or too frustratingly vague for its own good). It does include nifty details about magic and auguries that I haven’t found anywhere else, though.
    • Aztecs: an Interpretation, Inga Clendinnen, Cambridge University Press, 1993
      • This is an account of daily life in different groups of Aztec society, from priests and warriors to midwives and sacrifice victims. The main reason it has a low score is that although it has a wealth of details, many of which I have not found elsewhere, it’s also quite busy trying to prove the author’s personal theory on Aztecs, in a manner that soon becomes intrusive. It’s certainly worth a read, but more probably after you’re already familiar with some aspects of Aztec society.
    • The Ancient Sun Kingdoms of the Americas, Victor Wolfgang Von Hagen, Paladin, 1973
      • A compilation of three books on the Aztecs, Maya and Incas respectively. The explanations are clear and focused on various aspects of daily life, and it has nice illustrations–but the book is a bit dated, and the author sometimes spouts theories that I’m not entirely sure are valid anymore today.
    • An Aztec Herbal: the Classic Codex of 1552, William Gates, Dover, 2000
      • This is a list of traditional Aztec remedies to various ailments such as fevers or dropsy. Has neat illustrations of the herbs involved. If you plan on harming your characters (and, let’s face it, you’re a writer, so you already plan to), this is handy to have by your side.
  • Literature and Mythology We have very little left of pre-conquest Mesoamerican literature, which is why I’ve decided to include first-hand accounts by conquistadores in addition to pre and post-conquests fragments written by the Indians themselves. As in the China page, I haven’t rated the stuff that is actual literature, since I’m unsure of how to go about it.
    • In the Language of Kings: An Anthology of Mesoamerican Literature, Pre-Columbian to the Present, Miguel Leon-Portilla, Earl Shorris, W. W. Norton & Company, 2002
      • A very thorough anthology of Mesoamerican Literature (Aztec and Maya), starting with some of the earliest texts and also covering the post-Conquest period. The only drawback is that there is barely any religious literature (but you can get The Flayed God for that, see below), but the range is quite impressive, running the gamut from poems and proverbs to Aztec accounts of the Conquest.
    • The Flayed God: the Mythology of Mesoamerica, Roberta H. Markman and Peter T Markman, HarperSanFrancisco, 1992
      • A thematic guide to Mesoamerican mythology (Aztec, Maya, and a number of less well-known cultures, such as the Olmec, Mixtec…), depicting the tropes of mythology from Jaguar shapeshifters to the mythical rulers. It includes general discussion comparing and contrasting the different cultures, as well as translations of religious texts. Also very good illustrations and a bunch of details that are hard to find elsewhere: the structure of the Heavens, for instance. Out of print, and somewhat hard to find, but well worth a search if you’re serious about Aztec mythology.
    • Mythology of the American Indians, David M. Jones and Brian L. Molyneaux, Anness Publishing Ltd, 2004
      • May not look like it, but it’s actually in the same series as Cotterell’s and Storm’s Encyclopedia of World Mythology. The format is the same: an alphabetical list of all the major mythological entities, arranged by culture. Covers North America (including Inuit beliefs), the Mexico Area (Aztec, Maya, Mixtec….), and Peru (Incas, Chavin, Moche, tribal beliefs). The index is somewhat better than the Cotterell (which makes me suspect that it greatly varies according to the editions), and the entries are concise and to the point. Like the Cotterell, nicely illustrated with drawings and pictures of artefacts, and also has a nice historical introduction to each culture.
    • A Scattering of Jades: Stories, Poems, and Prayers of the Aztecs, Thelma D. Sullivan, Timothy J. Knab, University of Arizona Press, 2003
      • A very good compendium of literature translated from Nahuatl. Worth mentioning are the collections of proverbs, always fascinating to read, as well as the poems. I gave it three stars mainly because the material is also available in Leon-Portilla’s In the Language of Kings, which is a more thorough anthology (and not that expensive for one, either)
    • Florentine Codex, Bernadino de Sahagun
      • Sahagun’s account of Aztec customs at a time when they were being systematically wiped out is one of the longest primary sources we have about Aztec society. Covers everything from omens and gods to the social structure.
  • Software
    • Freelang Nahuatl-English Dictionary
      • A very handy little tool for translation of Nahuatl words to English. I mostly use it for naming characters. You must download the program first, and then add the wordlists that you want. Several languages are also available, including Quechua. (Many many thanks to T.L. Morganfield for pointing out this one to me)