The War of the Fatties and Other Stories from Aztec History

In "The War of the Fatties," a campy, tongue-in-cheek retelling of an episode from the Mexican "Trojan War," naked fat women from Tlatelolco discombobulate Tenochtitlans invading army by squirting them with breast milk. Told with satiric allusions to the policies and tactics used by Mexicos current ruling party, PRI, to consolidate its power, the play unfolds a history of vain rivalry and decadence, intricate political maneuvers, corruption, and unchecked ambition that determined the course of Mexican history for two centuries before the Spanish conquest. Novos other works in this collection"A Few Aspects of Sex among the Nahuas," "Ahutzotl and the Magic Water," "Cuauhtmoc: Play in One Act," "Cuauhtmoc and Eulalia: A Dialogue," "Malinche and Carlota: A Dialogue," and "In Ticitzcatl or The Enchanted Mirror: Opera in Two Acts"represent nearly all of his Aztec-related writings. Taken together, they provide a delightful introduction to Novos later works and a light-hearted, historically accurate introduction to Aztec culture. The text is supplemented by a glossary of Nahuatl terms, notes on the historical characters, and an introduction that provides historical background and places Novos works within their cultural context.