Chimalpahin Quauhtlehuanitzin
Encyclopedia
Domingo Francisco de San Antón Muñón Chimalpahin Quauhtlehuanitzin (1579, Amecameca
, Chalco
—1660, Mexico City
), usually referred to simply as Chimalpahin or Chimalpain, was a Nahua annalist
from Chalco. His Nahuatl names (tʃiːmaɬˈpaː.in kʷaːʍtɬeːwaˈnitsin) mean "Runs Swiftly with a Shield" and "Rising Eagle", respectively.
Chimalpahin claimed descent from the lords of Tenango
-Amecameca
-Chalco
.
He wrote on the history of Mexico
and other neighboring nations in the Nahuatl and Spanish language
s, but the majority of his works have not survived. The most important of his surviving works is the Relaciones or Anales. This Nahuatl work was compiled in the early seventeenth century, and is based on testimony from Indigenous persons. It covers the years 1589 through 1615, but also deals with events before the Conquest and supplies lists of Indigenous kings and lords and Spanish viceroys, archbishops of Mexico and inquisitors. Chimalpahin recorded the 1610 and 1614 visits of Japan
ese delegations to Mexico (led by Tanaka Shōsuke
and Hasekura Tsunenaga
, respectively).
He also wrote Diferentes historias originales (also known as Relaciones originales). This work is a compilation of claims and proofs of nobility asserted by Indigenous leaders of Chalco-Amequemecan. It was written to serve as a judicial guide for the viceregal authorities for the granting of privileges and offices to members of the Indigenous nobility. There are eight of these relaciones. All contain ethnographic, social and chronologic information of great value to historians.
His manuscripts came into the possession of Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
. For an account of what happened to these documents after the death of Sigüenza, see Lorenzo Boturini Benaducci.
Amecameca
Amecameca is a town and municipality located in the eastern panhandle of Mexico State between Mexico City and the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanos of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is located on federal highway 115 which leads to Cuautla, which is called the Volcano Route...
, Chalco
Chalco
Aluminum Corporation of China Limited, also known as Chalco , is a multinational aluminum company headquartered in Beijing, People's Republic of China...
—1660, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
), usually referred to simply as Chimalpahin or Chimalpain, was a Nahua annalist
Annals
Annals are a concise form of historical representation which record events chronologically, year by year. The Oxford English Dictionary defines annals as "a narrative of events written year by year"...
from Chalco. His Nahuatl names (tʃiːmaɬˈpaː.in kʷaːʍtɬeːwaˈnitsin) mean "Runs Swiftly with a Shield" and "Rising Eagle", respectively.
Chimalpahin claimed descent from the lords of Tenango
Tenango
Tenango may mean:*Tenango del Aire, Edomex*Tenango de Arista, in the municipality of Tenango del Valle, Edomex*Tenango, Chiapas*Tenango, Hidalgo *Tenango, Morelos...
-Amecameca
Amecameca
Amecameca is a town and municipality located in the eastern panhandle of Mexico State between Mexico City and the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanos of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is located on federal highway 115 which leads to Cuautla, which is called the Volcano Route...
-Chalco
Chalco
Aluminum Corporation of China Limited, also known as Chalco , is a multinational aluminum company headquartered in Beijing, People's Republic of China...
.
He wrote on the history of Mexico
History of Mexico
The history of Mexico, a country located in the southern portion of North America, covers a period of more than two millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, the country produced complex indigenous civilizations before being conquered by the Spanish in the 16th Century.Since the...
and other neighboring nations in the Nahuatl and Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
s, but the majority of his works have not survived. The most important of his surviving works is the Relaciones or Anales. This Nahuatl work was compiled in the early seventeenth century, and is based on testimony from Indigenous persons. It covers the years 1589 through 1615, but also deals with events before the Conquest and supplies lists of Indigenous kings and lords and Spanish viceroys, archbishops of Mexico and inquisitors. Chimalpahin recorded the 1610 and 1614 visits of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese delegations to Mexico (led by Tanaka Shōsuke
Tanaka Shosuke
Tanaka Shōsuke was an important Japanese technician and trader in metals from Kyoto during the beginning of the 17th century.According to Japanese archives he was a representative of the great Osaka merchant Gotō Shōsaburō...
and Hasekura Tsunenaga
Hasekura Tsunenaga
Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga or was a Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai....
, respectively).
He also wrote Diferentes historias originales (also known as Relaciones originales). This work is a compilation of claims and proofs of nobility asserted by Indigenous leaders of Chalco-Amequemecan. It was written to serve as a judicial guide for the viceregal authorities for the granting of privileges and offices to members of the Indigenous nobility. There are eight of these relaciones. All contain ethnographic, social and chronologic information of great value to historians.
His manuscripts came into the possession of Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora was one of the first great intellectuals born in the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. A polymath and writer, he held many colonial government and academic positions.-Early career:...
. For an account of what happened to these documents after the death of Sigüenza, see Lorenzo Boturini Benaducci.