Los tlamatque, guardianes del patrimonio : dinámicas interculturales en la Sociedad Naua (México)

Abstract

The present work is the result of the profound teaching

and discussions with the late Luis Reyes García, professor

of the University of Tlaxcala (Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala), who first sparked my interest in the study, analysis, transcription, and translation of Nahua texts and documents. Professor Reyes always encouraged his Tlaxcalan students to study and appreciate the rich cultural legacy found in the archives of the state’s local communities. In the present work, several parts are joined together, as pieces of a puzzle. First, the teaching of Professor Reyes García on the oral and archival history of the people of Tlaxcala, the knowledge about the discourses, narratives, and ceremonies that are still carried out in my family, and the worldview of the Naua and Totonac tlamatque (wise people) through their own eyes, hearts, and mouths. Secondly, what was shared with me by Dr. Maarten Jansen and Aurora Pérez at Leiden University: the worldview of the ñuu savi (Mixtecs) and other Mesoamerican peoples, a crucial aspect in order to appreciate the interdependence of our shared heritage.