The Other Moctezuma Girls, Sofia Robleda (Review by Stacie Champlin)

Rating: 4.0/5 Stars

The Other Moctezuma Girls highlights Mesoamerican culture giving two different timelines within Aztec culture. The book begins with Isabel, a young teen who has just lost her mother. She lives in occupied Tenochtitlan after Cortes has taken over her people. Her mother (also named Isabel), whom the family affectionately calls Nantzin, was the glue that held her family together. At the reading of her will, all Nantzin’s children with her various husbands gather one last time to see what gifts were handed down by the last empress of the Aztecs. Destined to be sent to a monastery, Isabel and her younger sister Catina uncover their mother left them one more gift, a map.

Forced to flee from their home due to their older brothers’ desire to take over, Isabel, Catina, and their brother Nano follow their mother’s map of clues around Tenochtitlan to uncover the journals she has left for them. The threesome picks up a young cook named Juan along the way and the four of them must overcome various struggles to find each location and each journal. The story goes back and forth at this point from Nantzin’s life when Hernan Cortes takes over to her most recent story. Each journal tells of the different hardships and struggles Nantzin faced as an elite woman forced into a new culture. Each story gives Isabel a better glimpse into her mother’s life and who she really was inside. Isabel’s feelings grow for Juan who teaches her how to be herself and how to overcome obstacles. This book is as much of a coming age novel as it is an adventure story.

This story was really fascinating to read and hear about different female experiences during this cultural upheaval. Often, I feel like we only hear from the conqueror’s point of view and this book gave an in-depth account of how Aztec females had to deal with their new roles in society and the new Christian culture forced upon them. It was a story of growth for both Isabel’s. You can see how each woman grew as they faced new challenges and tried to uncover the truth. It was a little slow to start, but really picked up towards the end as Isabel, her siblings, and Juan went on their quest. Great read!