¿Imitación, patrimonio pan-regional o distorsión colonial? Influencia mexica en manuscritos pictográficos del centro de México

El artículo discute la evidencia disponible sobre la influencia mexica en manuscritos pictográficos indígenas del período colonial procedentes de distintas regiones del centro de México, incluyendo las provincias imperiales y territorios vecinos. Se trata de discernir los posibles préstamos imperiales de las convenciones y tradiciones locales o regionales, con un enfoque particular en marcadores específicos de la influencia mexica: los atributos reales. Su aceptación e imitación parece haber sido de gran importancia para varios grupos de las elites provinciales. De interés especial es también la preponderancia de la influencia mexica versus una posible influencia texcocana y la aplicabilidad de documentos coloniales para reconstruir fenómenos prehispánicos.This paper discusses the available evidence on the Mexica influence in native pictorial manuscripts from colonial Central Mexico, including former imperial provinces and neighboring territories. In order to distinguish possible imperial loans from local or regional conventions, it focuses on specific markers of the Mexica impact: royal attributes. Their acceptance and imitation seems to have been of great importance for different groups of provincial elites. Of special interest is also the predominance of the Mexica influence versus potential Texcocan impact and the applicability of colonial documents in reconstructions of pre-Hispanic phenomena

Convenciones y estrategias en la iconografía del rango de la nobleza indígena del centro de México en el siglo XVI

La muestra conservada de los manuscritos pictográficos del centro de México ofrece numerosas posibilidades de abordar varias líneas de investigación sobre las imágenes de la nobleza indígena que, a su vez, arrojan mucha luz sobre los complejos procesos de transformación y supervivencia de la tradición indígena en un proceso dinámico de interacción con el mundo español. Este artículo explora ciertas convenciones regionales de la iconografía del rango heredadas del pasado prehispánico, pero en aquel tiempo combinadas con la influencia española. Centrándose en las cuestiones de continuidad y cambio, el trabajo analiza algunos de los ‘juegos de sentidos’ y estrategias que expresan mensajes culturales y políticos o diferencias de rango.The extant corpus of 16th-century pictorial manuscripts from Central Mexico has great potential for various lines of research on the images of native nobility that they contain, with implications for the complex process of cultural survival and transformation that accompanied Spanish-indigenous interaction. This paper explores certain regional conventions of the iconography of rank, inherited from the pre-Hispanic past but now often combined with European elements. In particular, it focuses on issues of continuity and change, ‘plays of meaning’, and strategies for expressing political/cultural messages, differences in rank, or both together

Supervivencia de los objetos de rango prehispánicos entre la nobleza colonial nahua

In spite of the wide adoption of European apparel and attempts of indigenous nobility to gain foreign attributes of rank, there is evidence of the persistence of native dress and insignia in early colonial reality. The paper explores extant data that reveal the survival of pre-Hispanic symbols of rank, including both inherited and contemporarily manufactured objects, and focuses on the contexts of their use. An important part of this phenomenon was the continuation of precontact terminology related to prestigious items, that coincides with the persistence of traditional titles of nobility and offices, which were gradually adapted to new forms of sociopolitical organization.A pesar de la amplia adopción de la indumentaria europea y de los esfuerzos de la nobleza indígena para conseguir los atributos de rango foráneos, hay evidencias de la persistencia del traje e insignias prehispánicas en la realidad colonial temprana. El artículo explora los datos disponibles sobre la supervivencia de estos símbolos de rango –incluyendo tanto los objetos heredados como los manufacturados en la época colonial según los prototipos precolombinos – centrándose en los contextos de su uso. Una parte importante de este fenómeno se asocia a la pervivencia de la propia terminología precolonial relacionada con los objetos de prestigio, que coincide con la pervivencia de los títulos tradicionales referidos a la nobleza, adaptándose esta última a las nuevas formas de organización sociopolítica

Bridging divides: A proposal for integrating the teaching, research and revitalization of Nahuatl

This paper discusses major historical, cultural, linguistic, social and institutional factors contributing to the shift and endangerment of the Nahuatl language in Mexico. As a practical proposal, we discuss our strategy for its revitalization, as well as a series of projects and activities we have been carrying out for the last several years. Crucial to this approach are several complementary elements: interdisciplinary research, including documentary work, as well as investigation of both the historical and the present state of Nahuatl language and culture; integration of both Western and native-speaking indigenous researchers as equal partners and the provision of space for indigenous methodologies; creation of teaching programs for native and non-native speakers oriented toward the preparation of language materials; and close collaboration with indigenous communities in developing community-based programs. The operability of this strategy will depend greatly on our ability to foster collaboration across academic, social, and ideological boundaries, to integrate theory, methodology and program implementation, and to efficiently combine grass- roots and top-down approaches. An important aim is to restore the culture of literacy in Nahuatl through our monolingual Totlahtol series, publishing works from all variants of the language and encompassing all genres of writing. We also strive to strengthen the historical and cultural identity of native speakers by facilitating their access to the alphabetical texts written by their ancestors during the colonial era.National Foreign Language Resource Cente

A Dialogue with Europe, a Dialogue with the Past. Ancestors and Tradition among the Colonial Nahua Nobility

En este trabajo presentamos un acercamiento a los modos de referirse al pasado en los testimonios dejados por los miembros de la nobleza colonial nahua. La lectura de las fuentes nos permite distinguir dos perspectivas –intelectual y pragmática– asociadas respectivamente con el proyecto de unir las tradiciones históricas indígena y europea y con la búsqueda de argumentos en la lucha por tierras y privilegios. El enfoque del artículo son los conceptos nahuas de «tradición» y «antepasados» (huehuetqueh), manifiestos en ambas perspectivas. Al analizar el vocabulario, retórica e iconografía intentamos entender el significado de estos conceptos dentro de la cultura nahua prehispánica y su modificación bajo las circunstancias coloniales, tanto como su papel en la continuación de la identidad nahua.In this paper we discuss the ways in which the Nahua nobility referred to the past as reflected in the testimonies of the colonial period. The reading of sources allows us to distinguish two perspectives: intellectual and pragmatic. While the first of them was closely linked to attempts of combining the indigenous and European historical traditions, the second one involved the quest for arguments in an ongoing struggle for land and privileges. We approach this complex topic focusing on the Nahua concepts of «tradition» and «ancestors» (huehuetqueh), common for both perspectives. Our analysis of the terminology, rhetoric and iconography refines the understanding of the functions and meaning of these concepts in precontact Nahua culture, their modifications under colonial circumstances, as well as the role they played in the continuity of Nahua identity

Contemporary research in minoritized and diaspora languages of Europe

This volume provides a collection of research reports on multilingualism and language contact ranging from Romance, to Germanic, Greco and Slavic languages in situations of contact and diaspora. Most of the contributions are empirically-oriented studies presenting first-hand data based on original fieldwork, and a few focus directly on the methodological issues in such research. Owing to the multifaceted nature of contact and diaspora phenomena (e.g. the intrinsic transnational essence of contact and diaspora, and the associated interplay between majority and minoritized languages and multilingual practices in different contact settings, contact-induced language change, and issues relating to convergence) the disciplinary scope is broad, and includes ethnography, qualitative and quantitative sociolinguistics, formal linguistics, descriptive linguistics, contact linguistics, historical linguistics, and language acquisition. Case studies are drawn from Italo-Romance varieties in the Americas, Spanish-Nahuatl contact, Castellano Andino, Greko/Griko in Southern Italy, Yiddish in Anglophone communities, Frisian in the Netherlands, Wymysiöryś in Poland, Sorbian in Germany, and Pomeranian and Zeelandic Flemish in Brazil

Contemporary research in minoritized and diaspora languages of Europe

This volume provides a collection of research reports on multilingualism and language contact ranging from Romance, to Germanic, Greco and Slavic languages in situations of contact and diaspora. Most of the contributions are empirically-oriented studies presenting first-hand data based on original fieldwork, and a few focus directly on the methodological issues in such research. Owing to the multifaceted nature of contact and diaspora phenomena (e.g. the intrinsic transnational essence of contact and diaspora, and the associated interplay between majority and minoritized languages and multilingual practices in different contact settings, contact-induced language change, and issues relating to convergence) the disciplinary scope is broad, and includes ethnography, qualitative and quantitative sociolinguistics, formal linguistics, descriptive linguistics, contact linguistics, historical linguistics, and language acquisition. Case studies are drawn from Italo-Romance varieties in the Americas, Spanish-Nahuatl contact, Castellano Andino, Greko/Griko in Southern Italy, Yiddish in Anglophone communities, Frisian in the Netherlands, Wymysiöryś in Poland, Sorbian in Germany, and Pomeranian and Zeelandic Flemish in Brazil