Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl facts for kids

Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl was a very important writer and historian. He lived in New Spain (which is now Mexico) between 1568 and 1648. He was part Aztec and part Spanish. He is famous for writing down the history of the Aztec people.

His Life Story

Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl was born sometime between 1568 and 1580. He came from a very important family. His ancestors, Ixtlilxochitl I and Ixtlilxochitl II, were tlatoque (rulers) of Texcoco. He was also a great-great-grandson of Cuitláhuac. Cuitláhuac was an Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan and a hero of La Noche Triste.

In 1602, Fernando became the official heir to his family's titles. This was decided by a royal decree. However, his family did not have much money or land. In 1608, he even complained about how poor the descendants of the Texcoco kings had become.

Fernando was a very good student. He studied at the Imperial Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco. There, he learned both Nahuatl (the Aztec language) and Spanish. He lived in San Juan Teotihuacán for a few years, from 1600 to 1604.

In 1608, the viceroy hired him as an interpreter. A viceroy was like a governor sent by the King of Spain. Fernando was chosen because he was very skilled. He could explain the old Aztec hieroglyphic pictures. He also knew a lot about his ancestors' traditions. These traditions were kept alive in old songs. He even worked with older Native Americans who knew a lot about Mexican history.

Fernando used his own knowledge and help from friends. He wrote many books about the history of his country. These writings were not well known at first. Later, important scholars like Francisco Javier Clavijero and Alexander von Humboldt discovered them. They said his works were written in Spanish. They were kept in the library of the Jesuits in Mexico.

Fernando also held important government jobs. In 1612, he was the governor of Texcoco. In 1613, he became the governor of Tlalmanalco. Even with his important family and good education, he was often poor. He wrote most of his works to earn money. He passed away in Mexico City in 1648.

His Writings

The Spanish viceroy of New Spain asked Fernando to write histories. These histories were about the indigenous peoples of Mexico.

One of his works was Relación histórica de la nación tulteca. People usually call it Relación. He wrote it between 1600 and 1608. This book told about many events in New Spain. It also covered the history of the Toltec people. The Relación and his other writings often repeated things. They also had many writing pieces and songs mixed together.

In his writings, he praised his great-grandfather, Don Fernando Ixtlilxóchitl II. He showed how important his great-grandfather was. He helped a lot in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. He also helped bring peace to the native people of New Spain. Fernando felt the Spanish conquerors were not grateful enough.

Later, between 1610 and 1640, Fernando wrote Historia chichimeca. This book was also about the same events. But it was much better organized. Historia chichimeca is not the original title. That title is unknown. Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora gave it this name. He owned the manuscript later. Another owner, Lorenzo Boturini Bernaducci, called it Historia general de la Nueva España.

Some people think Historia chichimeca was part of a bigger work. The rest of it might be lost or unfinished. It ends with the siege of Mexico City. This book tells the Texcoco version of history. It covers the time before the Spanish arrived and the conquest. This is different from the work of Fernando Alvarado Tezozómoc. That work tells the Mexica version. Historia chichimeca is thought to be Fernando's best work.

His writings have very important information for Mexico's history. But besides Historia chichimeca, his other works are not well organized. They have mistakes in the timeline. They also repeat information a lot.

Alfredo Chavero published Fernando's works. He added notes to them. This collection was called Obras históricas (Historical Works). It came out in 1891-1892. Later, José Ignacio Dávila Garibi reprinted that edition in 1952.

The Codex Ixtlilxochitl is also believed to be his work.

Fernando also wrote two special requests. They were called Sucinta and Sumaria. He sent them to Viceroy Luis de Velasco, hijo and Fray García Guerra. He wrote these to try and get back some of his family's land and special rights. Because of these requests, and help from Fray García Guerra, he got some land. Fray García Guerra later became an archbishop and viceroy.

In his last years, Fernando was appointed an interpreter. He worked in the court for Native Americans. He was still working there when he died in 1648. He was still poor and mostly forgotten. His son, Juan de Alva Cortés, inherited his documents. Before his own death, Juan gave them to Don Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora.

See also

In Spanish: Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl para niños

• Huematzin, an 8th-century wise person mentioned in 'Relaciones Históricas'