The Aztecs and their World: Initerdisciplinary Contributions of Frances Berdan

The past forty years have seen enormous advances in the scholarly understanding of Aztec society. There have been major methodological, conceptual, and empirical advances in historical scholarship, archaeology, and art history. This period also encompasses the first forty years of the ongoing scholarly contributions of Frances Berdan (Ph.D., 1975). Incredibly, Frannie has had her hand in most of the significant advances in all three disciplines. Like the Aztec glue she has studied, Frannie brings together diverse approaches in her work with diverse scholars. In this session, leading scholars take stock of these advances and the role played by Frances Berdan. Because her perspective is broad and comparative, we also include some non-Aztec themes that bear on Aztec scholarship.