Review (PDF) Religion And Empire: The Dynamics Of Aztec And Inca Expansionism (New Studies In Archaeology)
Religion and Empire is an innovative and provocative study of the two largest states of the Precolumbian Americas, the Aztec and Inca Empires. By examining the causes of the formation and expansion of these two empires, the authors identify similar patterns and processes underlying their rise and decline. They demonstrate that in both examples among the critical elements in the transition from marginal people to imperial power to disintegrating society were changes in traditional religion, including the elaboration of Aztec human sacrifice and Inca worship of the corpses of their kings. The authors show that the complex interaction between such ideological shifts and political and economic factors generated the spectacular historical trajectories of these Pre-Colombian empires.
Series: New Studies in Archaeology
Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 31, 1984)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521318963
ISBN-13: 978-0521318969
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #367,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #34 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Incan #43 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Aztec #97 in Books > History > World > Religious > New Age, Mythology & Occult
I read this book as part of a research project into the rise and fall of the Mexica, or Aztec. This book offered an interesting view of the Aztec, as a warfaring society which was propelled by a religous zelous that got out of hand and eventually caused the destabilization of a great empire. While I happen to disagree with certain arguments in this book they are all well justified with valid arguments. This field is constantly changing and is full of writers who don't have the background or the backing for their arguments, this is not one of them. Conrad and Demerest use fresh, compelling, and well thoughtout arguments to make an interesting point. If researching the Inca and Aztec this is a must read to achieve a good view of these two expansionist empires.
I read this book for a class on the emergence of state society. The book was great for its review of Aztec ideology and its resulting effects on the society. Too many authors ignore the importance of the way people think. However, archaeological evidence does not support their conclusions about the Inca's ancestor worship. But the book was good read, very fast paced and enjoyable. I recommend it.
The book really gets into the nuts and bolts of the empires, showing you how ideas could give birth to and help expand the two cultures. But it also shows how the same ideas could hinder and even start to destroy the empires later in their existance. Yet it is not hard to read and even delightful at some points. They answer alot of questions I had about the Aztec and Inca, making sure to support everything they say with lots of details. A must of any history library.
The interpretations of the Aztec empire in this book were misleading and deficient when it was first published in 1984; now they are both bad and outdated. According to the authors, the driving force of Aztec imperial expansion was rabid religious fanaticism. Crazed bloodthirsty warriors supposedly ran around conquering peoples with no sense of planning of strategy, and with no economic motivation (sounds sort of like the bloodthirsty Maya of Mel Gibson's movie Apocalypto). This interpretation does not for work Apocalypto, and it does not work for the Aztec empire either.I'm not qualified to evaluate the Inka sections of the book. But if you are interested in Aztec imperialism, please check some of the post-1984 literature.
It explains how modern/western thought fails when applied to the cultures of the Aztecs and Incas. This book is good for beginning students for the narrative is easy to follow. However, it is outstanding for the more advanced scholar. This book would make a great companion book to broader studies of these two cultures. The authors criticise modern archaeology for its dogmatic unbending views.The authors also take modern political theory and apply it to these ancient cultures. What happens is that it falls apart. Marx, Hegel, et al have met their match against these ancient ones. What a great departure from the faulty theories of socialism & communism.
Religion and Empire: The Dynamics of Aztec and Inca Expansionism (New Studies in Archaeology) Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory (Cambridge World Archaeology) Armies of the Aztec and Inca Empires, Other Native Peoples of The Americas, and the Conquistadores: 2 (Armies of the Sixteenth Century) The Lost History Of Aztec & Maya: The History, Legend, Myth And Culture Of The Ancient Native Peoples Of Mexico And Central America: Olmec, Maya, ... Zapotec, Toltec, Mixtec, Totonac, Aztec The Complete Illustrated History of the Aztec & Maya: The Definitive Chronicle of the Ancient Peoples of Central America & Mexico - Including the Aztec, Maya, Olmec, Mixtec, Toltec & Zapotec Native America: A Concise Guide To Native American History - Native Americans, Indian American, Slavery & Colonization (Crazy Horse, Custer, Slavery, American Archaeology, Genocide, Aztec) The Complete Illustrated History of the Inca Empire: A comprehensive encyclopedia of the Incas and other ancient peoples of South America, with more than 1000 photographs Empire of the Inca (Great Empires of the Past) Daily Life in the Inca Empire Daily Life in the Inca Empire (The Daily Life Through History Series) Inca Religion and Customs Sugar Cane Capitalism and Environmental Transformation: An Archaeology of Colonial Nevis, West Indies (Caribbean Archaeology and Ethnohistory) Central American and West Indian Archaeology: Being an Introduction to the Archaeology of the States of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the West Indies (Classic Reprint) Eldorado!: The Archaeology of Gold Mining in the Far North (Historical Archaeology of the American West) Reading Mystical Lyric (Studies in Comparative Religion): The Case of Jalal Al-Din Rumi (Studies in Comparative Religion) Empire of Religion: Imperialism and Comparative Religion City of Sacrifice: The Aztec Empire and the Role of Violence in Civilization Treasures of the Great Temple: Art and Symbolism of the Aztec Empire The Fall of the Aztec Empire The Mythology and Religion of the Aztec
