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Summary

Ever thought of becoming a bug farmer? Or how about a stone slinger?Imagine growing up in Mesoamerica before the Spanish Conquest (1350-1521). What does your future hold? The ancient Aztecs, Maya and other Mesoamericans believed that the gods created a world where everyone had a role to play. Some people were born to rule, others to serve. If you were lucky, you might have been a high priest or a queen. On the other hand, you could have ended up as a latrine boatman or a slave destined to become a sacrificial victim.Find out what it was like to be a tax collector (don't try to keep any money for yourself; the penalty is death!) or a porter (only if you enjoy carrying heavy packs up mountains). Or perhaps you'd prefer building pyramids, raising dogs or being a royal cook (frog casserole with green chile, anyone?).Other jobs you might have held include: Counterfeiter Bell maker Mosaic mask maker Beekeeper.Featuring a fact-filled introduction, a timeline and humorous illustrations, this book offers a unique view of one of the most remarkable civilizations of all time.

Introduction
Who Was Who in Mesoamerica
Society's Pyramid
Borrowers and Transformers
A Very Crowded Cosmos
Early Job Training
City-State Jobs
Surveyor
Calpulli Governor
Judge
Tribute Collector
Latrine Boatman
Aqueduct Builder
Pyramid-Temple Building Jobs
Chief Architect
Mural Painter
Sculptor
Quarry Worker
Stonecutter
Plasterer
Laborer
Palace Jobs
Great King
Juggler
Poet
Queen
Princess
Embroiderer
Prince
Prime Minister
Ambassador
Astronomer
Painter-Scribe
Royal Historian
Servant
Cook
Food and Drink Jobs
Hill Farmer
Slave
Landless Farm Laborer
Chinampa Farmer
Farmer's Wife
Woodcutter
Pulque Maker
Salt Maker
Everyday Crafts Jobs
Blade Maker
Maguey Worker
Spinner
Potter
Adobe Brick Maker
Clay Figurine Maker
Rope Maker
Paper Maker
Metate and Mano Maker
Rubber Ball Maker
Mat Maker
Broom Maker
Canoe Builder
Luxury Crafts Jobs
Goldsmith
Bell Maker
Feather Artist's Apprentice
Wood Carver
Mosaic Mask Maker
Shell Worker
Flower Worker
Trade and Market Jobs
Long-Distance Merchant
Porter
River Boatman
Chocolate Seller
Sandal Seller
Fruit and Vegetable Seller
Dye Maker and Seller
Counterfeiter
Market Officer
Slave Dealer
Temple Jobs
High Priest
Sorcerer
Priestess
Teacher-Priest
Student Priest
Day-Count Reader
Ceremonial Jobs
Professional Ballplayer
Master of Cremation Ceremony
Volador
Drummer
Conch-Shell Player
Matchmaker
Dancer
Deity Impersonator
Military Jobs
Weapons Maker
Spy
Eagle Elder
Student Warrior
Jaguar Warrior
Stone Slinger
Messenger
Health and Beauty Jobs
Herbalist
Bonesetter
Midwife
Barber
Tooth Filer
Beast, Bird, and Bug Jobs
Hunter
Dog Breeder
Tanner
Bug Farmer
Beekeeper
Fisher
Shell Diver
Zookeeper
Aviary Keeper
After the Spanish Conquest
Recommended Further Reading
Acknowledgments
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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Excerpts

Introduction"Meso" means "middle," so Mesoamerica means Middle America. Today we use the term "Middle America" to describe ordinary people living in the United States. But there was nothing ordinary about the Aztecs, Maya, and other ancient Mesoamericans. Even where they lived is extraordinary -- a region of sandy seacoasts, tropical rainforest lowlands, and dry highland basins surrounded by towering volcanoes. Is it any wonder that Mesoamerica was one of only six areas on the planet where civilizations popped up all on their own?You can't just decide one day that you're going to be "civilized." (Unless, of course, your parents have had enough of your "uncivilized" behavior and are giving you an hour to think about it.) It takes an extremely long time for people to build cities, produce enough food to feed everybody, put snobby kings and nobles in charge of them, trade goods and ideas with other groups of people, and figure out how to run governments, armies, and schools. It's a big job, and the Mesoamericans did it very well.These accomplished people were made up of many different cultural groups, who, like people today, moved from place to place in search of a better life. This search began when the truly ancient ancestors of the Mesoamericans began traveling from Asia to the west coast of North America at the end of the last Ice Age. They made their way south. Slowly. Eventually, they settled down, started to grow food and make things, and did a lot of thinking. (Imagine not just learning to read and write, but inventing those things in the first place!) Today, the cultural area where all these amazing things happened is the southern half of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and neighboring parts of Honduras and El Salvador.Learning about ancient peoples involves a great deal of guesswork. Archeologists study ruins and artifacts to find out what they can learn about a culture's architecture, art, and way of life. Ethnologists look at the way today's native people do certain tasks, such as tapping rubber trees, and try to figure out how their ancestors did the same jobs. This book focuses on the work people did in what archeologists call the Late Postclassic period in Mesoamerica, from 1350 to 1521 CE. Of all the Postclassic peoples, most is known about the Aztecs, which is why they dominate this book in the same way they dominated their world. Their empire was built by the Triple Alliance, made up of the Mexica people (based at the imperial city of Tenochtitlan), the Acolhua people (based at Texcoco), and the Tepaneca people of Tlacopan.When the Spanish explorer Hernaacute;n Corteacute;s marched into Tenochtitlan in 1519 with his army, he overcame the Aztecs with help from other Mesoamericans who were tired of being under Aztec rule. After the conquest, the Christian invaders destroyed almost all of the native people's "pagan" books. The few that remain, however, give us a taste of the remarkable cultures that thrived in this part of the world in the Postclassic period. We can also hear these people's voices through the books of Spaniards who worked and lived among them. One of these was Spanish friar Bernardino de Sahaguacute;n. He interviewed Aztec elders about their culture and wrote 12 books, called the Florentine Codex, on everything from plants and animals to rituals and proverbs.