The book utilizes indigenous, as opposed to European, sources to tell the history of Aztec civilization.

[1] In writing the book, Townsend aimed to convey that Aztec life, though changed, continued after Spanish conquest.

[2] David Stuart, in a review published by The Wall Street Journal, praised the book as a "vivid account of what Aztec writers and chroniclers had to say about their own history".

[3] Christopher Wooley, in a review published by the journal The Latin Americanist, praised the book as "extraordinary" and emphasized its accessibility to a broad audience.

[5] Elliott praised both writers for "style and verve" but also faulted them for not "[being] more generous in their acknowledgment of the pioneering work of predecessors like León-Portilla and Soustell".