In Xochitl, in Cuicatl (The Flower, the Song): Analysis of Colonial Cultural-Social Transformations Through Nahuatl Metaphor
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The Report Committee for Arnold Farias Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: In Xochitl, In Cuicatl (The Flower, The Song): Analysis of Colonial Cultural-Social Transformations Through Nahuatl Metaphor APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: Maria F. Wade Supervisor: Martha Menchaca In Xochitl, In Cuicatl (The Flower, The Song): Analysis of Colonial Cultural-Social Transformations Through Nahuatl Metaphor by Arnold Farias, B.A. Report Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May 2013 Abstract In Xochitl, In Cuicatl (The Flower, The Song): Analysis of Colonial Cultural-Social Transformations Through Nahuatl Metaphor Arnold Farias, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Supervisor: Maria F. Wade Supervisor: Martha Menchaca I pursue a study of the semantic couplet in xochitl, in cuicatl (the flower, the song) grounded in the examination of Nahuatl written sources in order to explore its cultural and historical trajectory as it was produced and reproduced from the pre-colonial to the colonial period. I begin my analysis by examining Nahuatl songs of pre-colonial origin to demonstrate how in xochitl, in cuicatl was an epistemological practice embedded in a Nahuatl ontology conceived of philosophical, religious, and social practices that were interwoven in the cultural habitus of Nahua warriors. I argue that the semantic couplet and the Nahuatl ontology associated with warriors are reflected and play a central role in songs from the Xochicuicatl (Flowery Songs) genre. Then, I explore colonial practices for religious conversion in order to discuss the colonial habitus or pre- dispositions influencing the indigenous scholar Antonio Valeriano to utilize the Nahuatl epistemology of in xochitl, in cuicatl and the Nahuatl ontology associated with warriors as an interpretive frame of reference in the Nican Mopohua, the apparition story of the Virgin of Guadalupe. With this organization, I identify pre-colonial Nahuatl practices in their original context and then I reveal why and how they became accommodated in a colonial and Christian context. Therefore, I utilize in xochitl, in cuicatl as a vehicle for exploring a major cultural-social transformation among the Nahua people of central Mexico. iii Table of Contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………….1 Background ……………………………………………………………………….2 Chapters and Methods …………………………………………………………….3 Chapter One In Xochitl, In Cuicatl: Pre-colonial Context ……………………………….6 Nahuatl Texts ……………………………………………………………………..6 Cuicatl (Songs) ……………………………………………………………………7 Stylistic Features of Nahuatl …………………………………………………….10 Philosophy, Religious, and Social Practices Associated with Warriors ………...10 Cuicapeuhcayotl (The Origin of Song) ……………………………………….....18 Keys …………………………………………………………………………..…19 In Xochitl, In Cuicatl: The Flower and Song as an Epistemology ……………...22 Chapter Two Colonial Accommodation of Nahuatl Tropes, Textual Figures, and Imagery………………………………..………….25 Missionaries and Religious Conversion …………………………………………25 Marian Literature ………………………………………………………………..28 The Nican Mopohua …………………………………………………………….36 Antonio Valeriano ……………………………………………………………….43 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………52 Appendix ………………………………………………………………………………...55 Works Cited ……………………………………………………………………………..59 iv Introduction In xochitl (the flower), in cuicatl (the song), is a fundamental Nahuatl metaphor, ascribed pre-colonially as “the only truth on earth” and is employed ubiquitously in contemporary times.1 The cultural value of this metaphor still holds and is perpetuated through real practices amongst Mexicans and Mexican-Americans today. Mesoamerican scholars have recognized metaphors like in xochitl, in cuicatl as a difrasismo or a semantic couplet, in which two words are presented together to symbolically express one idea. It is a stylistic feature shared among Mesoamerican languages, such as Nahuatl and Maya. The prominent Nahuatl scholar Miguel Léon-Portilla (2000, 1992, 1963) has broadly defined in xochitl, in cuicatl as a metaphor expressing the idea of poetry, art, symbolism, and truth. In this report, I pursue a study of in xochitl, in cuicatl grounded in the examination of Nahuatl written sources in order to explore the cultural and historical trajectory of the semantic couplet as it was produced and reproduced from the pre- colonial to the colonial period. I begin my analysis by examining songs of pre-colonial origin to demonstrate how in xochitl, in cuicatl was an epistemological practice embedded in a Nahuatl ontology conceived of philosophical, religious, and social practices that were interwoven in the cultural habitus of Nahua warriors.2 I argue that the semantic couplet and the Nahuatl ontology associated with warriors are reflected and play a central role in songs from the genre, Xochicuicatl (Flowery songs).3 Then, I layout the reasons why the indigenous scholar Antonio Valeriano utilized the Nahuatl epistemology of in xochitl, in cuicatl and the Nahuatl ontology associated with warriors as an interpretive frame of reference in the Nican Mopohua, the account of the apparition of the Virgin Mary. With this organization, I identify pre-colonial Nahuatl practices in their original context and then I reveal why and how they became accommodated in a colonial 1 I use Nahuatl to refer to an indigenous culture and language (including text written in Nahuatl) of central Mexico. 2 I use Nahua to refer to the people of Nahuatl culture and speakers of the language. 3 Xochicuicatl is composed of the words xochi- (flower) and cuicatl (song). I use the combined form to refer to the genre of songs and in xochitl, in cuicatl to refer to the metaphor. 1 and Christian context. I utilize in xochitl, in cuicatl as a vehicle for exploring a major cultural-social transformation among the Nahua people of central Mexico. Finally, I conclude with a short overview of how the semantic couplet is appropriated today in Mexican and Mexican-American communities. A decolonization project includes a recovery of indigenous ontological and epistemological foundations, as well as “reconciling and reprioritizing what is really important about the past with what is important in the present” (Smith 1999:39). As such, this study is significant because it recovers a Nahuatl cultural and linguistic epistemological practice identified as having great importance in pre-colonial as well as in contemporary times. In addition, this study serves as an example of cultural-social transformations resulting from colonization. Background Mesoamerica, a region with shared cultural traits, extends from present day Northern Mexico to Northern Nicaragua. The Nahuatl culture (popularly known as the Aztec culture) of central Mexico is the most well known Mesoamerican culture, in part due to the copious amount of written sources available in the Nahuatl language. Most often, the term “Aztec” or “Aztec Empire” is applied to represent three Nahuatl speaking city-states that formed what is recognized as the Triple Alliance. The altepetl (city-states) Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan established the alliance in 1426 in order to confront Azcapotzalco, the most dominant city-state in Mesoamerica. It is important to note that it was not an equal power relationship because Mexico-Tenochtitlan received the majority of tributes and exerted more power and influence over governed polities. Tetzcoco received a similar amount of tribute, but was less influential, while Tlacopan was rendered insignificant. The alliance governed about fifty city-states in central Mexico that “shared many of the institutions, benefits, and liabilities of the [The Triple Alliance], and even though they had tribute obligations, they are properly seen as core units within the central Mexico zone” (Carmack, Gasco, Gossen 2007:127). Thus, when I refer to Nahuatl culture and language I include the corresponding city-states that acquired 2 cultural uniformity. The peoples of these city-states were able to maintain local differences and ethnic distinctions according to lineages. However, they still belonged to a shared cultural nexus that developed over hundreds of years in central Mexico. These city-states were also linked through the Nahuatl language, which served as a lingua franca, a main language of communication in multilingual areas. Further, the Triple Alliance exerted cultural and political influences to homogenize the area. Chapters and Methods This report is divided into two main chapters. In the first chapter I propose that the genre Xochicuicatl (Flowery songs) should be defined by pre-colonial songs reflecting Nahuatl ontology conceived of philosophical, religious, and social practices that were interwoven in the cultural habitus of Nahua warriors.4 In addition, the songs of this genre are distinguished by the central role of the semantic couplet in xochitl, in cuicatl as an epistemological practice embedded in Nahuatl ontology associated with warriors. I analyze these songs as the performance of verbal art in order to identify keys or cues that pinpoint their interpretive frame, or in this case the Nahuatl ontology in which they are embedded (Bauman 1975). I provide a complete translation of the song Cuicapeuhcayotl (The Origin of Song) because it provides a more complete example of keys belonging to the interpretive frame and by extension, the genre. In the second chapter