Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl, more generally known as Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl, born between 1568 and 1580, died in 1648, was a nobleman of partial
Aztec
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
noble descent in the Spanish Viceroyalty of
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
, modern Mexico; he is known primarily for his works chronicling indigenous Aztec history.
Life
Born between 1568 and 1580, Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl was a direct descendant of
Ixtlilxochitl I
Ixtlilxochitl Ome Tochtli (c. 1380–1418) was the ruler (''tlatoani'') of the Acolhua city-state of Texcoco from 1409 to 1418 and the father of the famous "poet-king" Nezahualcoyotl.
Early years as ''tlatoani''
Claiming descent from the legen ...
and
Ixtlilxochitl II, who had been ''
tlatoque'' (rulers) of
Texcoco. He was descended from an indigenous grandparent and three Spanish grandparents. He was also the great-great-grandson of
Cuitláhuac (Cuitláhuac was the eleventh son of the ruler Axayacatl and a younger brother of Moctezuma II, the previous ruler of Tenochtitlan.), the penultimate Aztec ruler of
Tenochtitlan
, also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear, but the date 13 March 1325 was chosen in 1925 to celebrate the 600th annivers ...
and victor of
La Noche Triste. On the death of his eldest brother in 1602, he was declared by a royal decree heir to the titles and possessions of his family. The property, however, does not appear to have been large, as he complained in 1608 of the deplorable state of misery to which the posterity of the kings of Texcoco were reduced.
He was a distinguished student at the Imperial
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 on ...
, where he was educated in both
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 Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
and
Spanish. He lived in
San Juan Teotihuacán from 1600 to 1604.
In 1608, he was employed as interpreter by the
viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory.
The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
, which appointment he owed to his learning and skill in explaining the hieroglyphic pictures of the ancient Mexicans. He had also a profound knowledge of the traditions of his ancestors which were preserved in the national songs, and "was intimate with several old Native Americans famous for their knowledge of Mexican history." He turned his own labors and those of his friends to account in composing works on the history of his country. They remained unknown until their importance was revealed by
Clavijero, and afterward by
Humboldt. The former says that they were written in Spanish by command of the viceroy, and were deposited in the library of the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
in Mexico. There were copies also in other libraries.
In 1612 he was governor of Texcoco, and in 1613 governor of
Tlalmanalco.
In spite of his illustrious birth, good education and obvious ability, he lived most of his life in dire poverty. Most of his works were written to relieve his wants. He died in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
in 1648.
Works
He was commissioned by the
Spanish viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory.
The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
of
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
to write histories of the
indigenous peoples of Mexico
Indigenous peoples of Mexico (), Native Mexicans () or Mexican Native Americans (), are those who are part of communities that trace their roots back to populations and communities that existed in what is now Mexico before the arrival of Europe ...
. His ''Relación histórica de la nación tulteca'' (usually called ''Relación'') was written between 1600 and 1608. This was an account of many events in New Spain, and many events of the
Toltec
The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...
people. The ''Relación'' and most of his other accounts and compilations contain writing fragments and songs, with much repetition and little organization. He gives a detailed account of the important part played by his great-grandfather Don Fernando Ixtlilxóchitl II in the
conquest of the Aztec Empire and the pacification of the Indigenous of New Spain, praising him in every possible way and condemning the ingratitude of the conquerors.
Later (1610 to 1640, according to Chavero), Alva wrote the Spanish work ''Historia chichimeca'', which refers to the same events, but with more organization. ''Historia chichimeca'' is not the original title, which is unknown, but was supplied by
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora (August 14, 1645 – August 22, 1700) was one of the first great intellectuals born in the Americas - Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain (Mexico City). He was a Criollo people, criollo patriot, exalting New Spain ...
when the manuscript was in his possession.
Lorenzo Boturini Bernaducci, who owned the same manuscript later, called it ''Historia general de la Nueva España''. There are indications it was part of a larger work, the rest of which has been lost, or perhaps was unfinished. It ends with the siege of Mexico. The work gives the Texcoca version of pre-Columbian history and the conquest, in contrast to the work of
Fernando Alvarado Tezozómoc, which gives the
Mexica
The Mexica (Nahuatl: ; singular ) are a Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of the Triple Alliance, more commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire. The Mexica established Tenochtitlan, a settlement on an island ...
version. The ''Historia chichimeca'' is considered Alva's best work.
His works contain very important data for the history of Mexico, but except for ''Historia chichimeca'', they are written without order or method, the chronology is very faulty, and there is much repetition.
Alfredo Chavero
Alfredo Chavero (1841–1906) was a Mexican archaeologist, politician, poet, and dramatist.
According to Howard F. Cline, "Chavero's most enduring claim to remembrance rests...on iscompletion and extension of Ramírez's plans to republish maj ...
published his works, annotated, with the title of ''Obras históricas'' (''Historical Works'') in 1891–1892. José Ignacio Dávila Garibi reproduced that edition with a new prologue in 1952.
The ''
Codex Ixtlilxochitl'' is attributed to him.
He wrote two memorials, ''Sucinta'' and ''Sumaria'', addressed to Viceroy
Luis de Velasco, hijo, and Fray
García Guerra. These were attempts to recover some of the property and privileges of his royal ancestors. Partly owing to these appeals, and partly to the favor of Fray García Guerra, who afterwards became archbishop of Mexico and viceroy of New Spain, some land concessions were granted him, and in the last years of his life he was appointed interpreter in the Indian judiciary court. He was still working there when he died in 1648, poor and forgotten. His son, Juan de Alva Cortés, inherited his documents and before his death were given to Don Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora.
See also
*
Huematzin, 8th century sage (either real or legendary) mentioned in 'Relaciones Históricas'
Notes
Further reading
* (1975). ''Obras historicas'', 2 vols. (Mexico,).
Edmundo O'Gorman, ed.
* (1996). ''Enciclopedia de México'', v. 1. Mexico City, .
* (1749). ''Idea de una historia general de la América Septentrional''. Madrid.
*
*
* (ed.) (1891–92). ''Obras históricas de D. Fernando de Alba Ixtlilxochitl''. Mexico.
* (2002). "¿Tloque nahuaque o Dios desconocido? El problema de la traducción cultural en la Historia de la nación chichimeca de Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl". ''Morada de la palabra. Homenaje a Luce y Mercedes López-Baralt''. W. Mejías, ed. San Juan: Univ. de Puerto Rico. 515–521.
* (2008). "Fernando de Alva Ixtilxochitl" in ''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture''. 2nd ed. J. Kinsbruner, ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1: 127–28.
* (1957). "Ensayo historiográfico sobre D. Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl", in ''Memorias de la Academia Mexicana de la Historia'', vol. XVI.
* (2008). ''The Allure of Nezahualcoyotl: Pre-Hispanic History, Religión, and Nahua Poetics''. New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press.
External links
Original ms. of Alva Ixtlilxochitl's historia*
*
ttps://collections.lib.utexas.edu/catalog/utblac:e98983f6-9321-45cf-9976-40373dbd61a6 Relación Geográfica de Texcoco (Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl copy)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alva Ixtlilxochitl, Fernando De
Nahua people
17th-century Mexican historians
Historians of Mesoamerica
Scholars of the Aztecs
16th-century births
1648 deaths
Novohispanic Mesoamericanists
17th-century Mesoamericanists
Latin American artists of indigenous descent
17th-century indigenous painters of the Americas
Indigenous writers of the Americas
Mestizo writers