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MEXICAN HISTORY - PERSPECTIVES
By Ronald A. Barnett. ©2005 R. A. Barnett
His Bio -
Writing and HistoryThe history of Mexico has generally been written by outsiders, Spanish Conquistadors, Catholic missionaries, and most recently by archaeologists and anthropologists. Consequently Western ideas of historiography have dominated the writing of this history. Our concept of history, along with its method and purpose, begins with the ancient Greeks, although different historians may approach the subject from very different angles. Some historians see history as an unfolding of some master plan or divine purpose, others view it as a series of unique unrepeatable events or "happenings," which simply follow each other in mindless succession without any purpose. When we turn to the native historians of ancient Mexico, we find ourselves in a different world again. Many of the familiar guidelines are still there, such as calendrical dates, chronological sequence of events, and running narrative or commentary on notable events and famous personages. However, there are some fundamental differences. In ancient Mexico an accurate calendar was essential because the fate of the universe depended upon the ability of the Maya priest or seer to read the signs of the calendar. By doing so, he could predict the fate of the next time cycle. The two main systems of writing in Mesoamerica were quite capable of conveying much historical information, but they had to be backed up by a strong oral tradition based on the reading of the hieroglyphic codices. Finally, the Mesoamerican concept of history differed from the European tradition in the emphasis placed on what we somewhat condescendingly refer to as myths and legends. However we, too, have our own myths and legends that influence our view of history. Besides, "One man's myth is another man's history" (Voltaire).
Time and circumstance have decreed that most of our knowledge of the ancient Mesoamerican concept of history comes from the Maya, the Aztecs, and the Mixtecs. Other high cultures, such as the Tarascan and Zapotecs undoubtedly possessed an equally strong sense of their own history. However, the early chroniclers and historians of New Spain tended to concentrate on the Maya and the Aztecs. Consequently, we know a great deal about the Conquest of Mexico and the overthrow of Mexico-Tenochtitlan at the height of Aztec civilization because the Conquistadors kept detailed records of their military incursions. Missionary monks, like Sahagún and Durán, also preserved many native traditions and beliefs, if only to obliterate them in the minds of the people. Through the works of these early colonial historians and what remains of the native records we are able to reconstruct to some extent the pre-Hispanic view of history held by the Maya, Aztecs, and others.
How can we know what the ancient Maya or Aztecs thought about their own history, or any other subject for that matter?...
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