Very interesting and informative. I am fascinated by ancient civilisations and devour books like this. I enjoyed the content but I would have loved to see more pictures too. A great read though.

This historical text looks at the three most powerful and influential civilizations in Mesoamerica; the Aztec, Inca and Maya. It traces their rise and their eventual decline. We get to see the geographical trajectory of these civilizations and the various elements that contributed to their success, whether it was agricultural, social, architectural, or battle prowess. The similarities between them (absorbing the culture of smaller city states/tribes that they conquered) and also the differences (the Aztec and Maya had a written language to record their histories, while the Inca were more of an oral society).
I found this book easy to get through and it was very engaging and informative, as I was able to add some more in depth knowledge to what I already knew about these civilizations. However, the one critique that I have is the use of the word "savage" throughout the book on several occasions when speaking about battles or war. This could be seen as problematic because of the negative connotation of the word when it comes to Indigenous peoples, and maybe another descriptor could be used such as "brutal".
Other than that issue, I think this would be a good book to check out if one is interested in learning more about the Aztec, Inca or Maya in a non-academic forum.

Readable, informative, wide-ranging and well-illustrated, this book is a very good overview of the history and culture of these ancient peoples of Mesoamerica and South America.

I think many prior books from this publisher kind of helped give this volume a slightly disappointing flavour, initially. You see I regularly flick through, and rate highly, their photographic volumes, with picture captions the only text, but I still get to learn a fair bit of the relevant subject. This however is certainly all about the text, however pictorial the pages get. What I think I need to say is that this is no coffee table book, and not for the casual browse – this being one full-on narrative essay means this is purely for the interested and not for those with mild curiosity.

And the narrative of the essay feels the need to start a lot before we get to the Incans. Here is a discussion even of who the first inhabitants of South America were, and the geology that allowed them to arrive and meant they hadn't got there beforehand. We build up through a lot of failed, worn-down or militarily defeated civilisations, and by the time page 44 turns up you think you're finally ready to start with one of the title subjects, the Mayans. You haven't reckoned on the Olmecs. Or the rest.

That said, this can be a really interesting history. I cannot remember talk of the socialist collectivisation and coops of the Inca empire from my visit to Peru (but then, that was two decades ago). What we have here, even thought it might have been based on centuries worth of oral recollection, edited by the Aztecs, translated, misused by the Spanish and translated again, can be very good, covering the myths, the lifestyle, the weapons and all we might hope to glean from that patchy record.

So yes, this book will certainly serve a purpose for many readers. Reviewing it as regards my concerns and purposes, I did think it a lot heavier than I expected. Conversely, though, I can see many people wanting a full-on academic volume, well-illustrated as this is or not, will see it as too slight. Text justified to only one margin? Copious pull-quotes to make the pages pass quicker? One page in ten white text on black and not the usual? No, this isn't the photo book I might have thought I was clicking on, but it could also be said to have the design aesthetic of a magazine at times. So both the boffin and the loo-book browser may dislike this; I do hope there is a centre ground for it to be a success in.

Sometimes I grab a book that leaves me with mixed feelings. The Aztec, Inca, and Maya, written by Martin J. Dougherty, is one of them.

I decided to get it because my kid is into history as much as I am, so I thought it would be a good idea to read it and have all the answers at hand should he pop up one day with ‘Hey, Mom, do you know why [insert pre-Columbian civilizations related question here]’. I like to be prepared, is all.

Did The Aztec, Inca, and Maya get me those (still hypothetical) answers? Yes. My mental rolodex has been updated with success. Am I satisfied? Not really.

**

The Aztec, Inca and Maya charts the rise and fall pre-Columbian civilizations in Mesoamerica and South America, from the Maya to the Aztec and Inca empires, as well as the Zapotec, Olmec, Teotihuacan and Toltec civilizations. From government structures to marriage rites, from pyramids to human sacrifice, from agriculture to textiles, astronomy to hieroglyphics to ball games, the book explores the history of what today we call Latin America from its early kingdoms up to the crippling of the societies with the arrival of conquistadores and smallpox. The biggest Mesoamerican cities, such as Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan and Cholula, were among the largest in the world. Mesoamerican civilisations are credited with many inventions: building pyramid-temples, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, writing, highly accurate calendars, fine arts, intensive agriculture, engineering, an abacus calculator, and complex theology. In South America, the Inca Empire, the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, was, at its height, possibly the largest in the world. And yet it achieved this without wheeled vehicles, animals to ride or draft animals, without using iron or steel, or developing a written script. Easily accessible and illustrated with 180 colour and black-and-white photographs, maps and artworks, The Aztec, Inca and Maya is a fascinating account of Mesoamerican and South American civilisations from the 2nd century BCE to the 16th century CE.

226 pages
History
Amber Books LTD
Goodreads

**

Cover: I’m not sure which cover is correct! The golden one on Netgalley is very cool, while the one I’m seeing on Goodreads is a nope. I don’t like the color palette there.

Yay!

- Dougherty compiled an informative, well-rounded book about the three main pre-Columbian civilizations: Maya, Inca, and Aztec. The first two chapters are dedicated to the Mesoamerican populations that preceded them instead, offering the reader a broad insight into those cultures too. That’s maybe my favorite section, because I knew precious little about Toltecs or Olmecs before reading this part.

- If you’re into history, then you’re in for a treat. The Aztec, Inca, and Maya is rich in information, from historical timelines to ancient religions, from social organization to practical tools and eating habits. The prose itself flows nicely enough, making it an interesting read. Good editing is a trademark of Amber Books LTD by now, something I’m grateful for.

- There are a lot of pictures and drawings, a nice touch! I appreciated sculptures more than paintings this time around.

Nay!

- All the photos are in black and white hues. This is disappointing, because they end up not doing any justice to the entire work. It just seems like I picked an outdated book, you know? I can’t figure out the reason behind this choice, and that’s why I had to skip the Special Mention section. I’m so sorry, but it’s a real shame.

TL;DR

3.5 stars on GR, rounded up to 4.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. A through and well written ,though a little dry to read at times history of Mesoamerica.

I am eager to learn more about these ancient empires as a polymath, but unfortunately when I was looking up further information on parts I wanted to know more about, I found that quite a few dates, names, places and basic facts and figures were completely incorrect which means it is pretty useless to those wishing to know more about the topic. I mean, no one wants to waste their precious time on an inaccurate nonfiction book. The aspects I thought were decent enough to award it two stars: the subtle humour throughout, the easy, conversational style of writing and the stunning photography. Sadly, I would recommend you opt for a book in which the author has a background in the area explored and leave this one well alone.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Aztec, Inca and Maya". What could have been a dull and lecture-like book is actually very entertaining and easy to read (of course, the photos help!). Martin J Dougherty goes beyond the basics, but not so far that I feel like I know everything. This is perfect for anyone who has vague knowledge of the Aztec, Inca, and Maya and wants to go a bit further. A really fascinating read.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Many thanks to Amber Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I love history and this book is a great way to learn about these cultures and their history. Definitely recommend to anyone who’s interested in these civilizations

I enjoyed it as it's well written and I liked the illustrations. Learned something new.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have enjoyed reading a book and I found it very informative. However, upon reading through other people's reviews, I'm not so sure how informative it actually was as there were some mentions of false facts. I will have to do a bit of digging and more reading on the topic.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great read, i didnt want to put it down! I would recommend this to my friends and family, very informative

I enjoyed this book. The writing style is conversational and the author showed a subtle sense of humor from time to time. The photos are excellent. I also liked that the book started with the early history of the area, predating the Aztecs, Incas and Mayas. This framed the discussion very well. Sometimes, though, the book was too detailed. Overall, the book was worthwhile reading and gave me a good introduction to these great civilizations. Thank you to Netgalley and Amber Books for the advance reader copy.

This is suppose to be about the ancient people of Central and South America. I was happy to learn some basic information and timeframes for the different cultures as it is area I am where I'm woefully ignorant. Visiting some of the major ruins is definitely on my bucket list. Unfortunately the author is a professional writer, someone who writes up other peoples information and other another reviewer on Goodreads has pointed out inaccuracies in the text. I recently read a book on Van Gogh and it was written by a recognized Van Gogh historian and curator. I trusted his information. This author doesn't have the same type of credentials and I don't have the knowledge to judge his writing accuracies. The book itself is informative. I wish there were maps showing some of the locations referenced. And I wish the photos were in color instead of black and white. Thank you NetGalley and Amber Books for a temporary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm very concerned by the fact that the author of this book is not an ancient history scholar let alone one that specializes pre-columbian cultures. I did skim the whole thing and while the information was well presented I don't know that I can trust any of it as another reviewer on goodreads has pointed out several factual errors. I enjoyed the pictures and illustrations but I really wished they had been in color.

Thank you to Amber Books and NetGalley for the digital book.