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The Colegio de Santa Cruz in Tlatelolco,
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley ...
, is the first and oldest European school of
higher learning ''Higher Learning'' is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (Omar Epp ...
in the
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with t ...
and the first major school of interpreters and translators in the
New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
. It was established by the
Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
on January 6, 1536 with the intention, as is generally accepted, of preparing Native American boys for eventual
ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...
to the
Catholic priesthood The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
. Students trained in the ''Colegio'' were important contributors to the work of Franciscan
Bernardino de Sahagún Bernardino de Sahagún, OFM (; – 5 February 1590) was a Franciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneering ethnographer who participated in the Catholic evangelization of colonial New Spain (now Mexico). Born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1499, he ...
in the creation of his monumental twelve-volume ''General History of the Things of New Spain'', often referred to as the Florentine Codex. The failure of the ''Colegio'' had long-lasting consequences, with scholar Robert Ricard saying that " d the College of Tlatelolco given the country even one ativebishop, the history of the Mexican Church might have been profoundly changed."


History

The ''Colegio'' was built by the
Franciscan order , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
on the initiative of the President of the Audiencia
Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal (, Villaescusa de Haro, Cuenca, Spain – January 22, 1547, Valladolid, Spain) was bishop of Santo Domingo ''(in Latin)'' and president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo from 1528 to 1531. He was al ...
, Bishop Don
Juan de Zumárraga Juan de Zumárraga, OFM (1468 – June 3, 1548) was a Spanish Basque Franciscan prelate and the first Bishop of Mexico. He was also the region's first inquisitor. He wrote ''Doctrina breve'', the first book published in the Western Hemispher ...
, and Viceroy Don
Antonio de Mendoza Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco (, ; 1495 – 21 July 1552) was a Spanish colonial administrator who was the first Viceroy of New Spain, serving from 14 November 1535 to 25 November 1550, and the third Viceroy of Peru, from 23 September 1551 ...
on the site of an
Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
school, for the sons of nobles (in Nahuatl:
Calmecac The Calmecac (, from ''calmecatl'' meaning "line/grouping of houses/buildings" and by extension a scholarly campus) was a school for the sons of Aztec nobility ('' pīpiltin'' ) in the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican history, where they ...
). It was inaugurated on January 6, 1536, however, it had been a functioning school since August 8, 1533. While Bishop of Santo Domingo, Ramírez de Fuenleal had encouraged the Franciscans to teach the sons of Indians grammar in their native language of Nahuatl. Franciscan Arnaldo de Basccio began the task with considerable success, which gave support to the project of establishing an institute of higher learning. Ramírez de Fuenleal urged the crown to provide funds to establish and support such an institution. The Franciscans had already established primary schools prior to the ''Colegio'', one at Texcoco, established by Fray
Pedro de Gante Fray Pieter van der Moere, also known as Fray Pedro de Gante or Pedro de Mura (c. 1480 – 1572) was a Franciscan missionary in sixteenth century Mexico. Born in Geraardsbergen in present-day Belgium, he was of Flemish descent. Since Flanders, l ...
in 1523 and the other by the leader of the First Twelve Franciscans,
Martín de Valencia Martín de Valencia was born in Valencia de Don Juan, in the bishopric of Oviedo, Spain, ca. 1474. He died Tlalmanalco, Mexico, 21 March 1534. He was a Spanish Franciscan missionary, leader of the Twelve Apostles of Mexico, the first group of mendi ...
in Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1525. Still others were founded by Franciscans in this early period. These schools for Indian and mestizo boys taught basic literacy, but also singing, instruction in how to help with the mass, and sometimes manual labor. The primary education of Indian girls was also a concern and schools were established in Mexico City, Texcoco and six other locations lasting only for a decade. But not until the establishment of the ''Colegio de Santa Cruz'' were sons of Indian men given higher education. Bishop Juan de Zumárraga was a supporter of the establishment of the ''Colegio'', but credited Fuenleal and the crown for the accomplishment. The ''Colegio'' was inaugurated on January 6, 1536, the feast of the
Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany season, or Epipha ...
, deliberately chosen for its symbolism of calling the gentiles to the true faith. The establishment of such a school to train young men for the priesthood was highly controversial, with opposition especially coming from Dominican friars and articulated by the head of that order, Fray
Domingo Betanzos Domingo Betanzos (died September 1549 at Valladolid) was a Spanish Dominican missionary to New Spain, who participated in the "Spiritual Conquest", evangelizing the indigenous. Life A native of León in Spain, he first studied jurisprudence at ...
. Franciscan
Bernardino de Sahagún Bernardino de Sahagún, OFM (; – 5 February 1590) was a Franciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneering ethnographer who participated in the Catholic evangelization of colonial New Spain (now Mexico). Born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1499, he ...
wrote a strong defense of the capacity of the Indians, countering the opinions of those who doubted the Indians' ability not only to learn Latin grammar, but to speak, and compose in it. He went on to refute concerns about the possibility of the Indians spreading heresy. Betanzos in his opposition to the ''Colegio'' said that Native Americans who knew Latin could expose the ignorance of the existing European priests, an argument that perhaps unwittingly did the same. The original purpose of the ''Colegio'' was to educate a male indigenous priesthood, and so pupils were selected from the most prestigious families of the Aztec ruling class. These young men were taught to be literate in
Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have small ...
,
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
, and received instruction in Latin in music, rhetoric, logic, and philosophy, and indigenous medicine. One student educated at the ''Colegio'' was
Nahua The Nahuas () are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador. The Mexica (Aztecs) were of Nahua ethnicity, a ...
botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
Martín de la Cruz, who wrote the Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis, an illustrated herbal. Actual instruction at the ''Colegio'' was by two Franciscans at a time, aided by Indian assistants. Among the teachers were notable scholars and grammarians such as Franciscans
Andrés de Olmos Andrés de Olmos (c.1485 – 8 October 1571) was a Spanish Franciscan priest and grammarian and ethno-historian of Mexico's indigenous languages and peoples. He was born in Oña, Burgos, Spain and died in Tampico in New Spain (modern-day ...
, Alonso de Molina and
Bernardino de Sahagún Bernardino de Sahagún, OFM (; – 5 February 1590) was a Franciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneering ethnographer who participated in the Catholic evangelization of colonial New Spain (now Mexico). Born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1499, he ...
, all of whom have made important contributions to the study of both the
Classical Nahuatl Classical Nahuatl (also known simply as Aztec or Nahuatl) is any of the variants of Nahuatl spoken in the Valley of Mexico and central Mexico as a ''lingua franca'' at the time of the 16th-century Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. During the ...
language and the
ethnography Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject ...
and anthropology of
Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica ...
. Other Franciscans who taught there were Fray Juan de Goana, Fray Francisco de Bustamante, Fray García de Cisneros, Fray Arnaldo de Basaccio, and Fray Juan Focher. Fray Juan de Torquemada also served as a teacher and administrator at the ''Colegio''. When recollecting historical and ethnographical information for the elaboration of the Florentine Codex, Sahagún used his trilingual students to elicit information from the Aztec elders and to transcribe it in Spanish and Nahuatl and to illuminate the manuscripts. Opened with great fanfare, the ceremony was attended by Viceroy Mendoza, Bishop
Juan de Zumárraga Juan de Zumárraga, OFM (1468 – June 3, 1548) was a Spanish Basque Franciscan prelate and the first Bishop of Mexico. He was also the region's first inquisitor. He wrote ''Doctrina breve'', the first book published in the Western Hemispher ...
, and the President of the Audiencia,
Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal (, Villaescusa de Haro, Cuenca, Spain – January 22, 1547, Valladolid, Spain) was bishop of Santo Domingo ''(in Latin)'' and president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo from 1528 to 1531. He was al ...
with a great crowd to view the proceedings. Fray Alonso de Herrera preached the sermon at the opening Mass. Following the religious ceremony, there was a banquet hosted by Zumárraga for guests and the first pupils, chosen from the convent of San Francisco de México. Although there was great support from many sectors (excluding the Dominicans who objected to the founding of the ''Colegio''), the physical structure was at first quite modest for lack of funds and later a stone house was built. The first sixty male students was a small cohort of sons of noble families; there was tremendous need for many more pupils, so the Franciscans actively recruited others from important towns in central Mexico, two or three boys 10 to 12 years of age. The pupils lived in the ''Colegio'' in very modest circumstances. A common eating area and sleeping quarters with beds being only a mat and a blanket placed on individual wooden platforms to keep pupils from the damp floor. Some important pupils trained at the school were Antonio de Valeriano, who was the most prominent of those who collaborated with Sahagún. Spanish judge Alonso de Zorita, author of ''Life and Labor in Ancient Mexico: the Brief and Summary Relation of the Lords of New Spain'' was aided by the translations of Pablo Nazareno, a former pupil at the ''Colegio''. The Franciscans continued to teach at the ''Colegio'', but could not afford to keep up the building or other expenses, so they turned it over to the crown shortly after the ''Colegio'' opened in 1536. In 1546 the Franciscans gave up any management of the property and it was turned over to the pupils and former pupils to run. By 1550 due to poor management, the buildings were falling down and pupils had to become day students. In 1555, Indians were forbidden from ordination to the priesthood, so that the original purpose of the school to train a native priesthood was ended. In the seventeenth century when Franciscan Augustín de Vetancurt was writing, the ''Colegio'' was a complete ruin. In modern
Mexico city Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley ...
the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, close to the location of the ''Colegio'', commemorates this particularly interesting part of the cultural history of Mexico. The accompanying illustration shows the church of Santiago which still exists, together with part of the conventual buildings (now a library), visible to the right of the church.


Legacy

The ''Colegio'' was founded in the early sixteenth century in a period of great optimism about the capacity of the Indians and the prospects for their being ordained as Catholic priests. Its failure in the late sixteenth century was a serious one. According to Robert Ricard, the "error prevented the Church from striking deep roots in the nation, gave it the appearance and character of a foreign institution, and kept it dependent upon the mother country." There were some Indian men ordained in the later colonial period, but they were few and never held high posts.Ricard, ''Spiritual Conquest'', p. 235. American-born Spaniards,
criollos In Hispanic America, criollo () is a term used originally to describe people of Spanish descent born in the colonies. In different Latin American countries the word has come to have different meanings, sometimes referring to the local-born majo ...
, were trained in Mexican seminaries, but there was no significant native clergy. The training of elite young men at the ''Colegio'' in grammar, rhetoric, and theology did, however, enormously aid the Franciscans in their efforts to evangelize the Indians and to record indigenous history and culture in texts that remain fundamental to the understanding of Nahua culture.


See also

* Plaza de las Tres Culturas * Tlatelolco (archaeological site) *
List of colonial churches in Mexico City This is a list of the preserved Colonial churches in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. Aside from being a notable city in colonial times, the city grew in the 20th century enormously in terms of population, adhering to over a hundred of subu ...
*
List of oldest buildings in the Americas This article lists the oldest known surviving buildings constructed in the Americas, including on each of the regions and within each country. "Building" is defined as any human-made structure used or interface for supporting or sheltering any use ...


References


Further reading

*Baudot, Georges. ''Utopia and History in Mexico: The First Chronicles of Mexican Civilization, 1520-1569''. Translated by Bernardo R. Ortiz de Montellano and Thelma Ortiz de Montellano. Boulder: University of Colorado Press 1995. *Brand, Donald, D., "Where is the Oldest University in the New World?", ''New Mexico Anthropologist'', vol. 4, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1940), pp. 61–63 *Estarellas, Juan: "The College of Tlatelolco and the Problem of Higher Education for Indians in 16th Century Mexico". ''History of Education Quarterly'', Vol. 2, No. 4 (Dec., 1962) pp. 234–243 *Gómez Canedo, Lino. ''La educación de los marginados durante la época colonial: Escuelas y colegios para indios y mestizos en la Nueva España''. cap. IV "Enseñanza superior: Tlatelolco". Mexico: Editorial Porrúa 1982. *Mathes, Michael, 1985, "''The Americas' first academic library Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco''", Sacramento, California State Library *Maxwell, Judith M, and Craig A Hanson, 1992, "Introduction" ''Of the Manner of Speaking That the Old Ones Had: Arte Para aprender la Lengua Mexicana 1547''. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City. *Ocaranza, F.''El imperial colegio de indios de Santa Cruz de Santiago Tlatelolco''. Mexico, 1934, n.p. *Ricard, Robert. 1966. ''The Spiritual Conquest of Mexico: An Essay on the Apostolate and the Evangelizing Methods of the Mendicant Orders in New Spain, 1523-1572.'' Translated by Lesley Byrd Simpson. Berkeley: University of California Press 1966. Originally published in French in 1933. *SilverMoon. 2007. The Imperial College of Tlatelolco and the emergence of a new Nahua intellectual elite in New Spain (1500–1760). Doctoral Dissertation. Duke University. ProQuest

*Steck, F.B. ''El primer colegio de América, Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco. Mexico: Centro de Estudios Franciscanos, 1944. {{Coord, 19.4509, N, 99.1367, W, source:wikidata, display=title Universities in Mexico City Franciscan universities and colleges Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City
Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco The Colegio de Santa Cruz in Tlatelolco, Mexico City, is the first and oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas and the first major school of interpreters and translators in the New World. It was established by the Franciscans ...
1536 establishments in New Spain Educational institutions established in the 1530s Santiago Tlatelolco Roman Catholic churches completed in 1536 Baroque architecture in Mexico 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Mexico