Enigmatic Texts and Multiple Voices in Colonial Central Mexico

Many colonial textual genres written either in Spanish or in native languages by indigenous authors within the Mesoamerican cultural area share three features that distinguish them as a group, when compared to other writings by native subjects in Asia, Africa, or other regions of the Americas. These texts often reference an "immemorial" past with distinct sociopolitical rights and traditions whose retelling is anchored by early colonial records influenced by preColumbian writing systems; they also display a rather broad spectrum of narrative depictions of the Spanish conquest, which range from a passing reference to a full-fledged agonistic account. Furthermore, these sources may occasionally appear cryptic, unsystematic, or haphazardly ordered to the scholar, as they often privilege a localist viewpoint. In this compact but richly detailed study, Wood takes us through a strategic selection of examples and case studies that focus on Nahua and other Central Mexican accounts that illustrate each of these three features. Given the complex context of production of these sources and the difficulties inherent in a comparative approach built on solid ethno-historical and philological bases, Wood provides here an able and provocative synthesis that should inspire further comparative research.