The figure of Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl is increasingly a focus of recent scholarship. Alva Ixtlilxochitl was a descendant of the preconquest rulers of the native city-state of Texcoco, home of the famous Nezahualcoyotl and Nezahualpilli. This slim volume, a translation of one of Alva Ixtlilxochitl's most important works of history, is a welcome addition.
Alva's work as the official Nahuatl translator for the audiencia of Mexico placed him in a unique position to serve as a historian of his region. The piece chosen for this volume is one of his most extensive narratives of the conquest of Mexico. In addition to the translation, the authors provide a useful introduction that includes a brief biography of the author, a description of contemporaneous histories, and glimpses into the unique features of Alva Ixtlilxochitl's work.
The source of Alva Ixtlilxochitl's text is a work called the “Thirteenth Relation,” better known by its Spanish name: Compendio histórico del reino de Texcoco. The title might lead one to think that this work focuses exclusively on the conquest as experienced in the city-state of Texcoco, across the lake from the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, but this is far from the case. As the authors demonstrate, Alva encompasses the full range of the event, and is not micro-patriotic. At the same time, he clearly shows his allegiance when he refers to the native troops from his home region as “our men.” One of Alva's forebears, the prince Ixtlilxochitl, also plays an inordinately central role in many of the adventures described in the account.
Alva provides the reader with glimpses into his own working process. He drew on local nobles, preconquest documents, and eyewitness accounts, as he affirms in stating their source, for example: “according to don Alonso Axayaca and native accounts and paintings” (44). The Compendio was published early in the nineteenth century, and both original manuscript and copies circulated during the colonial period. Over time, it was translated into several languages, including French and English. The editors and translators of this edition attempt to bring the events of the conquest, as described by Alva Ixtlilxochitl, into the twenty-first century. Rather than drawing on earlier translations, the editors have gone back to the original manuscript, which was written Alva's own hand.
Alva's history of the conquest begins with the rumors of the arrival of the Spanish on the Gulf Coast and focuses closely on the reactions of the native peoples of the Valley of Mexico. It follows the conquest story through the arrival of the Spanish in Tenochtitlan, and their eventual expulsion in the Noche Triste, but it does not end there. Alva goes on to describe the exploits of the Spanish and their native allies in later conquests and expeditions. The work concludes after presenting Cortés's expedition into what is now Honduras.
The translation is admirable. The authors obviously considered many critical aspects as they brought this tale into the modern day. The straightforward presentation of the material makes it easy to approach, even for undergraduate students. In addition, the editors provided numerous, but not excessive, footnotes; many of these point out the differences between Alva's account of the conquest and other well-known accounts and generally succeed in making the material more intelligible.
This translation is a very useful tool for scholars and students. The authors are involved in a larger project of translating all of Alva Ixtlilxochitl's historical works. This slim volume can provide a useful basis for comparisons to other standard texts assigned to undergraduates, such as Cortés's Letters, the history of Bernal Díaz, and the native accounts in León Portilla's Broken Spears.
