Moctezuma's Zoo: A Tale from An Enchanted City
In this masterfully written, imaginative tale from the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, Emperor Moctezuma’s daughter, Ixtla dreams about one day inviting all her favorite animals- pumas, tamarins, and camels to live in her temple palace, but she ends up locked up in a tower by Moctezuma as punishment for cooking up such a “foolish and dangerous idea,” and to keep her from harm’s way. But with the help of a magical quetzal bird, she escapes and the two fly off on a thrilling journey through rainforests, deserts, and mountains in search of encounters with wild pumas, sleepy camels, an enlightened eagle, and jittery monkeys of all kinds. Ixtla must figure out how to return home with all the animals in tow and find a way to avoid the Emperor’s wrath for breaking away from the tower. Will she and all her favorite animals return home safely into Emperor Moctezuma’s good graces? or will he refuse the animals entrance to Tenochtitlan?
The Story Behind This Book
While in college taking an archeology course over 20 years ago, my professor talked about the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan and said a menagerie existed there. The first thought that came to mind- Moctezuma's Zoo- what a great idea for a children's story!
