Fifth Sun A New History of the Aztecs

Growing up I knew just the name of 3 cultures from Central and/or South America, and that was it. Where they had lived and when, and details about them either didn't exist or I've forgotten them. This book does a great job of drilling into 1 of them, especially focusing on native sources.

It can get a bit overwhelming and drawn out but hang in there to the Epilogue and Appendix where the author goes into detail on the discovery of the sources of her information and how they relate to her story.

Her opening paragraph is up there with [book:The Gunslinger|43615]'s opening sentence on imagination- and attention- capture.