Hidden World of the Aztec

When you pick up a book by author Peter Lourie, you'll realize two things right away. First, he loves history, and his love for the subject comes through in his writing. Secondly, Mr. Lourie doesn't just write about the past. He's a hands-on type of person, and that's clearly evident in HIDDEN WORLD OF THE AZTEC. In 1512, the two-hundred year history of the Aztecs was brought to a close when Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes captured the capital city of Tenochtitlan. That ancient city, the hub of the Aztec culture, now lies buried beneath a larger, much more modern city--that of downtown Mexico City. Mr. Lourie followed a team of archaeologists, led by Leonardo Lopez Lujan, as they conducted new excavations at both the Great Temple and the Pyramid of the Moon. The work done at the Great Temple was the first attempted in seven years. At the more ancient Pyramid of the Moon, located thirty miles north of Mexico City, a new opening was made at the top of the pyramid, and Mr. Lourie followed a team down into never-before explored tunnels. HIDDEN WORLD OF THE AZTEC is filled with beautiful full-color photographs, maps of the ancient Aztec world, and photos of actual archaeological finds discovered during their time in Mexico City. This first-hand account of what the ancient Aztec culture was like is not to be missed, especially by those with a love of history. Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Dad and reader I love Peter Lourie's books because they help students see that real adventure is still taking place in a real world. He visited my daughter's school a year ago. I sat in and was blown away by his passion and enthusiasm and his love for history and travel and adventure. He brings that passion to his new title, Aztec. We follow Lourie into the heart of an ancient temple at Teotihuacan, the Pyramid of the Moon. With the same archaeologist from Mexico, Leonardo Lujan, we accompany scientists opening up a new excavation at the Great Temple, the center of the Aztec capital city, which now lies under Mexico City. Fascinating stuff. And not, I might add, without a lively and informative discussion of the significance of human sacrifice to that ancient culture. The photographs bring the subject alive and will make the Aztecs really accessible to middle graders. Our school has Lourie's other books, Maya, Inca, and Anasazi in their library. Lourie has hit a home run with this new one, the best in his New World Civilization series. I hardily recommend it.