Fifth Sun

A New History of the Aztecs

By: Camilla Townsend

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

In November 1519, Hernando Cortes walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story - and the story of what happened afterwards - has been told many times, but always following the narrative offered by the Spaniards.

After all, we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were intrigued by the Roman alphabet and, unbeknownst to the newcomers, they used it to write detailed histories in their own language of Nahuatl. Until recently, these sources remained obscure, only partially translated, and rarely consulted by scholars.

For the first time, in Fifth Sun, the history of the Aztecs is offered in all its complexity based solely on the texts written by the indigenous people themselves. Camilla Townsend presents an accessible and humanized depiction of these native Mexicans, rather than seeing them as the exotic, bloody figures of European stereotypes.

The conquest, in this work, is neither an apocalyptic moment, nor an origin story launching Mexicans into existence. The Mexica people had a history of their own long before the Europeans arrived and did not simply capitulate to Spanish culture and colonization. Instead, they realigned their political allegiances, accommodated new obligations, adopted new technologies, and endured.

©2019 Oxford University Press (P)2020 Tantor

Narrative history with academic depth

Exciting telling of famous historical moments from the origins of the Mexica to the fall of the Aztecs, with detailed sources

A Dense but Fascinating Journey into Aztec History

Fifth Sun is packed with an incredible amount of information about the Aztecs, much of which is unfamiliar to most readers. Camilla Townsend’s research is meticulous and eye-opening, and she brings a fresh perspective to a history that’s often misunderstood. That said, it can be tough to keep track of all the names and details—something more about the complexity of the subject than her writing.

This isn’t a casual or “light” listen, but for anyone genuinely interested in the Aztec world and its lived experiences, it’s a remarkable and rewarding book.

Fantastic, but too short!

A really excellent, interesting and unique history and an amazing story. Narration is impressive with lots of difficult Nahuatl names and phrases.

Great Book

Well written, enjoyable! Narration can get annoying - woman tries to impersonate male voice.

Refreshing

For centuries, scholars have relied on European accounts of the encounter of two worlds that occurred when Indigenous nations allied themselves with Spanish invaders to topple the so-called Triple Alliance of Mexico-Tenochtitlán, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. Camilla Townsend revisits this story, and widens its scope, to tell it through Indigenous eyes. By relying on Indigenous language sources, she adds to the ongoing work of questioning existing narratives that are driven by Eurocentric perspectives. An additional bonus for this audiobook is the thorough and incredibly helpful bibliography. Independent scholars will find this particularly useful, as sources can be hard to find and difficult to navigate. Lastly, the narrator has obviously taken the time and made a valiant effort when it comes to Náhuatl pronunciation. It is incredibly refreshing to see this degree of diligence and respect paid to the Náhuatl language, it is not unnoticed and very much appreciated. Wonderful book!