"Mesoamerican Cultures and their Histories: Spotlight on Oaxaca!"
WEEK 2 (from the online syllabus)
http://blogs.uoregon.edu/mesoinstitute/about/syllabus-2/
Topics:
 Pre-Columbian Writing/Painting Systems: Glyphic Texts and Iconography
 Mesoamerican Alphabetic and Pictorial Manuscripts: Codices as Art, History, and
Cultural Memory
 Creation, Origins, and Migration Narratives (e.g. sculptural, pictorial, written) and
Identity (can link to Week 3)
 Spanish Conquest and Colonization: Myths and Realities
 Ethnobiology: Cultural Preservation in Foods, Medicinals, and Technology (also links to
Week 3) — can look at maize, chocolate, cochineal, etc., or the “Columbian Exchange”
(links to weekend activities)
Humanities Questions:








Why do we often assume (incorrectly) that the Spanish invasion and colonization of
Mesoamerica brought total destruction of the ancient civilizations?
Despite drastic demographic decline, major dislocations, and a loss of power, how did
a critical mass of indigenous people survive and retain certain features of their
cultures under colonization?
How did they carve out some degree of autonomy and self-determination within the
colonial context? Here we will bring to light indigenous perspectives on the era prior
to the invasion and on the transformations that took place after European “conquest”
and explore how to read manuscripts from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries
that contain paintings and texts written in indigenous languages.
How much of a role did historiography play in the cultural survival of indigenous
communities?
What are the genres of native and Indo-Hispanic manuscripts?
What methodologies are involved in “paleography,” “iconography,” and other types of
interpretation?
How are image and text related?
What are the manuscripts’ recurring themes, and what kinds of memory processes
and views of history do they suggest?
Questions for the Readings:
1) In the excerpt from Mesoamerican Voices, we learn that Mesoamerica has shared
cultural traits and also diversity. What are examples of shared traits and ones that show
diversity?
2) This introduction helps us see that Mesoamerica has large cultural groupings -Nahuas, Mixtecs, Yucatec Maya, etc. etc. We can create curricular units about one
ethnicity or more than one, but it is important to learn some of the basic names and
distinctions between these groups.
3) How did the Spaniards seize power in Mesoamerica? What factors contributed, giving
them an advantage?
4) After gaining power, where did Spaniards settle and why? What were the biggest
changes they introduced into the lives of Mesoamericans?
5) How did Mesoamericans find ways to defend their communities from onerous
demands of Spanish colonialism?
6) What can we learn from documents authored by indigenous scribes/notaries?
7) Pohl's "The Meeting" summarizes some indigenous sources on the historic encounter
between Spaniards and some Nahua groups. Maybe we can take this example as a way
of evaluating the strengths of seeing indigenous points of view?
8) Each year, a few NEH Summer Scholars choose to make a curricular unit with
Mesoamerican codices (indigenous-authored pictorial manuscripts) as its focus. Pohl's
introduction to codices will provide helpful background for this. But this information also
highlights what kinds of information these ethnic groups felt important to record for
posterity. What is meant by saying the "Mixtec group is basically historical"? What was
history in their view? And why would some groups emphasize prophecy? How do
writings on hide, paper, or ceramics give us clues about beliefs and ceremonies? Are
there human universals in these things? Are there culturally specific features?
9) What are some of the myths of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico that Restall's two
chapters highlight for us? Do you find his arguments surprising? credible?
10) Terraciano’s chapter is full of detailed linguistic and historical information. The take
away might be the general nature of the transition from pre-Hispanic Mixtec (Ñudzahui)
ways to colonial Ñudzahui ways. While some things changed, was their room for some
continuity, as well? Also, notice what might be unique in Ñudzahui culture (e.g. the
nature of a gender-balanced rule, the “big house” metaphor, “reciprocal labor,” and
other things. And try to retain mental images of archaeological sites we have visited
when you read about the nature of communities and ruling households.
11) What do you notice about material culture of the Ñudzahui people a generation after
Spanish colonization from the 1551 and 1561 excerpts from the Mixtec Codex Sierra
(translated into English by Terraciano and Sousa)? What is still indigenous and what do
you see that was apparently introduced by the colonizers? And how do the Mexica
(Nahuas) enter into activities here in the Mixteca? Notice that this account book is being
kept in an indigenous language and how decisions about what to spend for what kinds of
purchases are being made by the indigenous town council.