Goldsmith's Daughter, by Tanya Landman

In this tale about the ancient Mayan culture a young girl named Itacate is being raised by her father, an important goldsmith, after her mother dies in childbirth. Her brother, according to custom, is in training to follow in his father's craft. But Itacate is the one to show the true gift to work with gold!

Set at the end the Aztec's reign of power (when the Spanish army arrive), the Goldsmith's daugther raises the question "What would it be like to live back then?"