DOC City of Sacrifice: The Aztec Empire and the Role of Violence in Civilization by David Carrasco in History

Review

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful. Impenetrable Academic JargonBy CebesThe author rightly points out that scholars have largely avoided the topic of Aztec sacrifice; no doubt for political reasons (for fear that describing the horrible brutality of these practices might appear to be a justification for the European conquest). It is thus good to see someone face the topic directly. Nonetheless the book is a disappointment. Carrasco is addicted to unnecessary pseudo-technical jargon: "locative cosmology"; "ortho-visus"; "orientatio"; "heterogeographical;" etc.; and to such mind-numbing phrasings such as "forefronting the locative nature of the city's final narrative." It is a challenge to choose the worst-written sentence in this book; so I'll pick two: "In this book; I extend the meaning of orientatio to include both the discovery and organization of central place and the sacrificial performances that have the power to reorganize; redistribute; and regenerate the central place as a culturally and politically meaningful environment." "The text and its interpretations suggest a redirecting of terms toward an expansion of categories to join a hierarchy of meaning to a unity of meaning when exploring synesthesias in urbanized societies." Unfortunately; all too often bad writing is an indicator of sloppy thinking. The author seems to spend as much time telling us what he will accomplish in this book as actually accomplishing it (he constantly announces that he will "carry the discussion further" or "gain some insight" or provide a "new understanding" or "enlarge our understanding"). The book does present some interesting facts about the practice of Aztec human sacrifice; but in the end; the interpretations are rather thin (and of course couched in pseudo-profound lingo; e.g."alignments are viewed as integral but subordinate to larger symmetries"). Nor does the book live up to its pretentious subtitle: "the role of violence in civilization." The author contributes little to a general theory of this profound issue. In sum; I would say that this book's performative narrative insufficiently forefronts a synesthetic orientatio of the Aztec cosmovision.9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. interesting Aztec ritual and cosmic geometryBy Christopher D. HampsonIn City of Sacrifice; David Carrasco explains his picture of Aztec cosmology by describing various Aztec rituals and traditions; drawing on his archaeological experience as well as his interpretation of Aztec art and myth. We may begin and end the book uncomfortable with human sacrifice; but Carrasco's understanding of the worldview behind it puts it in some perspective.I find this work to be valuable first as a description of Aztec practices. Carrasco's accounts of the major Aztec festivals are interesting and enjoyable (the chapter titles include "Give Me Some Skin" and "Cosmic Jaws") although often macabre. I appreciate that Carrasco has worked on the archaeological dig in Ciudad de México and understands firsthand the primary sources-- artifacts; remains; sculptures; paintings-- that form our basis of understanding for Aztec culture. Second; I enjoy Carrasco's picture of Aztec cosmology; a cosmology that has lines (both vertical and horizontal) as well as a center; a periphery; and a lynchpin between the worlds. This is clearly the influence of Mircea Eliade; one of my favorite theorists of religion. Thinking of religion in terms of cosmic geometry is a really interesting exercise; and enables us to envision how others have ordered the world around them. You will want to pick up "The Sacred and the Profane" by Eliada as a companion read to Carrasco.5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Brilliant and unflinchingBy Mexican scholar 1973The other reviews have been misguided and quite frankly wrong: they disliked the book because it talks about Aztec society without blinders or coddling. They dislike the Aztecs and have unjustly given negative and lukewarm reviews of a tremendous anthropological study. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an account of Aztec religious practices that isn't filtered through heavy lenses to make an often gritty and violent society more palatable.