Resumo de Aztec - Gary Gannings

The novel isa narration done by an Aztec called Mixtli, and tells us about the life and society of the Aztecs as well as of some other indigenous groups ofMexico. It also describes the beauty of Tenochtitlan as well as thebeauty of its streets and the greatness of its temples. IT describes how these menmade human sacrifices, mainly in honor to Quetzalcoatl or the God ofthe War, and how certain parts of the victim were eaten by soldiers orpriests since it was a privilege as also he were it to die in this wayor in the called flowery wars, which were organized with the purpose of bringing humansof other indigenous groups for their sacrifice. In the same way is described how the mexicas or Aztecs had a very orderly society and wereextremely clean. The population dedicated themselves among other thingsto farming and commerce, nevertheless were hierarchies and themost important man was the speaker. Mixtli or dark cloud tells its childhoodand how he became a professional writer, which at that time were drawings. The mastery of this skill was very useful to him when he became a retailer because he was able to draw up maps of the regionthat he also use in the War against other tribes. Later, in one of hisexpeditions he found out the origin of the Aztecs , which was a place called Aztlan which did not looked like the great Aztec Empire. In this way all the events in the life ofthis man are narrated until floating houses appear inthe seas which, obviously were the Spaniards, beginning theconflict between these two cultures. The war between Cortrés and the Aztecs was far from easy and apparently what finnaly defeated the natives was thesmallpox. Although the weapons of the Spaniards were superior, the nativesdid not give up so easily. Here a woman appears who iswell-known like the Malinche although its real name was Malintzin and whowas a translator and an ally of the Spaniards who eventually conquered theAztecs and imposed their culture and religion, althoughmany natives only simulated. Nevertheless, the cultural shockchanged forever the history. At theend of the book, Mixtlí is dead in the bonfire by heresy like manyother Aztecs and thus finish this story, which is both distressing, amusingand colorful.

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