Introduction to Nahuatl Paleography

This tutorial will introduce you to basic records and documentation formats in the indigenous language Nahuatl. In colonial Mesoamerica, Nahuatl was the lingua franca spoken by the Aztecs (also called the Nahuas) and neighboring groups, even stretching as far as present-day Guatemala. The Aztec empire fell with the Spanish conquest in 1521, but their culture and language survived into the colonial period. Nahuatl is still spoken today by over a million people in Mexico; however, this tutorial focuses specifically on its written colonial form. The various pages in this tutorial will focus on the challenges that Nahuatl documents present, the resources to overcome them, and the different document types and their genealogical data they contain.

There are several types of documents written in Nahuatl, the primary Nahuatl documents that will be used in this tutorial are Catholic parish records. These records were written by trained indigenous scribes who helped the Catholic priest during his absences or when otherwise occupied. Furthermore, depending on where and when the Catholic parish records were written, they could be entirely in Spanish, colonial Nahuatl, or a combination of both. Because Nahuatl and Spanish have different phonetic systems, indigenous scribes often adapted borrowed Spanish words by spelling them as they sounded in Nahuatl. For example, the Spanish word “Padrino,” or “Godfather” could be written as “Padrino,” “Patrino,” or “Patzina” by an indigenous scribe writing in Nahuatl.

Besides having to become familiar with unfamiliar vocabulary and spelling variations, you will need to adjust to such things as old styles of handwriting, unfamiliar abbreviations, misspelled words, ink blotches, and torn pages. While some of these things may cause you concern, you will find that in a short period of time, you will be able to read Catholic records written in Nahuatl with ease and accuracy. The following sections provide examples of some challenges a researcher may encounter in reading colonial Nahuatl while providing assistance with those particular challenges:

During the colonial period, the Catholic Church held significant institutional power throughout Mesoamerica, and Spanish authorities required indigenous populations to participate in Catholic record-keeping practices such as baptism, marriage, and burial. These records are the most important for family historians and genealogists with colonial Mesoamerican ancestry.

Beginning in the sixteenth century, the Catholic Church required that each of its parishes keep records of the sacraments, baptisms (christenings), and marriages performed in the parish. The church also prescribed the form in which these records, or parish registers, were to be kept. Although the specific requirements for keeping registers have changed from time to time, the formats of entries have stayed basically the same. This tutorial will introduce you to those basic formats; that is, it will focus on the specific information contained in each entry and locate where that information can usually be found.

As you begin reading through records in Nahuatl, consult the topics that appear in the sidebar under Techniques & Tools, beginning with the Practical Suggestions. As you do this, be reassured about your ability to learn to read old Nahuatl records. Three things will help to make your task easier. First, colonial Nahuatl records were written by scribes trained in European script, so the handwriting will feel familiar. Second, borrowed Spanish words appear frequently and will be recognizable. Third, the information that you read will be in roughly the same place in each record. To begin, go to Practical Suggestions.