The Fifteenth Month

In The Fifteenth Month: Aztec History in the Rituals of Panquetzaliztli (University of Oklahoma Press, 2019), John “Fritz” Schwaller ’69 focuses on one of the most important months in the Mexica (Aztec) year. Panquetzaliztli, the 15th month, was significant for its proximity to the winter solstice and for the fact that it marked the beginning of the season of warfare. Schwaller’s work marks a new methodology in which traditional sources for Mexica culture, rather than being interrogated for their specific content, are read for their insights into the historical development of the people.