Crónica Mexicayotl facts for kids

The Crónica Mexicayotl is an important old book about the history of the Aztec Empire. It tells stories from the early journeys of the Nahuas (people who spoke Nahuatl) all the way to the time when the Spanish arrived. This book was written in the Nahuatl language around the 1500s.

People aren't completely sure who wrote it. The oldest copy we have was written by hand by a historian named Chimalpahin (who lived from 1579 to 1660). But the book itself says that the author is Fernando Alvarado Tezozómoc (who lived from before 1542 to about 1610). This mystery makes the Crónica Mexicayotl even more interesting to study!

The oldest existing copy of this book, written by Chimalpahin, is called MS374. It used to be kept at the University of Cambridge in England until 2013. In 2014, it was returned to Mexico by the Mexican National Institute for Archeology and History. Now, you can see it on display at the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Over the years, several copies and translations of the Crónica Mexicayotl have been made. In the 1700s, a copy was made by Lorenzo Boturini. Later, in the late 1800s, more copies were made from Boturini's version. One of these copies, called MS 311, is now kept in Paris at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

In 1949, Adrian León translated the Crónica Mexicayotl into Spanish. The National Autonomous University of Mexico published this version, showing both the Nahuatl and Spanish text. Later, in 1997, American historians Susan Schroeder and Arthur J. O. Anderson translated the oldest manuscript (MS374) into English. Other translations into Spanish and German have also been published, helping more people learn about this amazing historical record.

Who Wrote the Crónica Mexicayotl?

The question of who truly wrote the Crónica Mexicayotl has been a puzzle for a long time. The book's introduction clearly names Tezozómoc as the author. However, the actual manuscript was written by Chimalpahin, and he even added notes where he mentioned himself.

Some experts, like Joseph Marius Alexis Aubin, thought that Chimalpahin simply copied the original text from Tezozómoc and added his own notes. Another scholar, Paul Kirchoff, believed that the book had two different writing styles. He suggested that Tezozómoc wrote the first part, and Chimalpahin wrote the second part.

Different Ideas About Authorship

Susan Schroeder has a different idea. She believes that the Crónica Mexicayotl was Chimalpahin's own original work. She thinks that only the introduction was written by Tezozómoc. She also suggests that this introduction wasn't even for the Crónica Mexicayotl itself. Instead, she thinks it was an extra part for another book called Historia o Crónica Mexicana.

However, other experts, like Peperstraete and Kruell, disagree with Schroeder. They argue that Tezozómoc is indeed the main author of the Crónica Mexicayotl. They say the introduction is clearly meant for this book. They also point out that much of the book is about Tezozómoc's own family. He would have had special information that only he could have known.

Tezozómoc's Other Works and Sources

Peperstraete and Kruell also mention that Tezozómoc wrote a Spanish book called Crónica Mexicana. They believe this Spanish book is basically a translation of the Crónica Mexicayotl. This makes it seem even more likely that Tezozómoc wrote both. They think that when Tezozómoc wrote the Crónica Mexicayotl, he might have used an older, lost document called the Crónica X. Other historians also used this Crónica X for their own writings.

So, what was Chimalpahin's role? Peperstraete and Kruell suggest that Chimalpahin didn't just copy the book. They believe he also added some of his own parts into Tezozómoc's original text. They think Tezozómoc's first version of the Crónica Mexicayotl was finished before 1581. This is because they believe another historian, fray Diego Durán, might have used Tezozómoc's manuscript when he wrote his own History of the Indies of New Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Crónica Mexicáyotl para niños