Aztec Land

Ballou, Maturin Murray, 1820-1895Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 562K words
Chapters: 57

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Aztec Land by Maturin Murray BallouAuthor: Ballou, Maturin Murray, 1820-1895,Language: English, Class: F1201: North America local history: Mexico, Release Date: Aug 21, 2009

Editor's review

This work is the record of a journey through Mexico by the nineteenth-century American travel writer Maturin Murray Ballou, a public-domain text in the Project Gutenberg free eBook collection. Through the eyes of a first-hand observer, it describes the customs, historic sites and social landscape of the old Aztec lands, combining the readability of travel literature with the reference value of local history. The prose has the unhurried tone of a nineteenth-century English travelogue, rich in detail, with especially vivid descriptions of ancient ruins, town and country life, and the character of the people. As an F1201 work on Mexican local history, it can serve both as a source for understanding how earlier travelers saw Mexico and as light English reading. It suits readers interested in Latin American history, travel writing and nineteenth-century English prose, who can read it in sections on an e-reader or alongside maps and historical background.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers curious about Mexican history and Aztec civilization
Readers who enjoy nineteenth-century English travelogues and travel literature
History enthusiasts who need English public-domain source material for background reading
English learners who want light extensive reading in the original

Not a good fit for

Researchers expecting systematic academic argument or the latest archaeological findings
Readers who prefer modern Chinese translations and are unused to English originals
Readers looking for tight plots or fiction

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and opening chapters first to grasp the author's route, then choose chapters of interest for closer reading.
Keep a map of Mexico at hand and mark the towns and ruins mentioned to strengthen the sense of place.
Look up unfamiliar place names and historical figures as needed; there is no need to check every new word.
Compare the nineteenth-century observations with impressions of Mexico today, and note differences and reflections.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a travel record?

The materials indicate it is Ballou's record of his travels in Mexico, classified under North American local history; it is travel writing and local chronicle rather than fiction. Read it as a travelogue, following the author's route, and do not expect a full plot structure.

Is the English original hard to read?

Nineteenth-century travelogues tend to have long sentences and somewhat formal diction, but the overall style is narrative prose and not very difficult. Readers with intermediate English can read it in sections with a dictionary; those who only want the content can start with chapter summaries and then select passages of interest.

Why is reading with a map recommended?

The book touches on many Mexican towns, ruins and geographical settings. A map anchors the descriptions in real space, helps clarify the author's route and subjects of observation, and sets the nineteenth-century record in direct contrast with today's geography.

What reading situations suit the electronic edition?

This is a free electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, suitable for fragmented reading on a phone, tablet or computer, and easy to search for place names and keywords. It works well for commutes, travel or as supplementary material for history-themed reading.

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About the author

Ballou, Maturin Murray, 1820-1895 Author

Maturin Murray Ballou (1820-1895) was a nineteenth-century American author, with nineteen of his works held in this library. Public information about him is limited, and the details of his life are difficult to ascertain, yet his subjects reveal a writer of wide interests in travel and biography. He wrote travel accounts such as Aztec Land, Due West: Or, Round the World in Ten Months, and Due North: Or, Glimpses of Scandinavia and Russia, recording foreign landscapes and journeys. He also produced A History of Cuba and The Pearl of India, showing attention to tropical regions and colonial history. His output includes popular fiction such as Fanny Campbell, the Female Pirate Captain, set in the Revolutionary era, and a biography of Rev. Hosea Ballou. His plain, readable prose combines observation with narrative appeal, and his works are also classified under inspirational growth.