History 465- Week 3 Post

I decided to examine the “Nahuatl-language testament of Maria”. The origin of this document is the city-state of Culhuacan, which was a Nahuatl-speaking pre-Columbian city-state in the Valley of Mexico. As the title suggest, it is a testament by a woman named Maria. It was given Thursday the 15th of August in the year 1580. It was made before a group of witnesses, but the tone seems to indicate it was a public affair, meant for anyone who so desired access to it, and specifically directed to God in several sections.

The motives of the article are definitely to give a testament about the selling of her house, and the debts of her and her two previous husbands outstanding. There seems to be great concern with paying off those debts, both for honors sake and for spiritual implications. It almost seems like a will, a document written for the purpose of record keeping so that things are carried out just as Maria wishes them to be. “Let no know violate my testament” describes the importance placed upon it being carried out.

The perspective of this woman Maria is shown through her honest confession of debts outstanding. Obviously it is important for her to pay them off, despite perhaps being in the latter years of her life. She even asks her stepchild to take care of her and her husbands’ debts. It was likely very important both in the spiritual realm and in the social one to stick to your word, and to take care of any debts that you may owe.

The text itself doesn’t really try to argue anything, it is simply a legal document stating Maria’s wishes. I compared it to a will earlier, and it is similar in the fact that there is a strong urgency for the wishes expressed in it to be carried out as she wants them to be. It gives some insight into the legal systems of the Valley of Mexico at this time, and also insight into the social values and the importance of paying off debts. One common thread throughout is the focus on God, and the fact that she is a sinner and needs saving. This might either be a reflection of the spiritual traditions of the culture, or evidence of the effect the Franciscan missionaries were having in the area.

The information given by this text has already been discussed somewhat above. I conclude by observing that this text gives insight into the daily life of the Valley of Mexico, and evidence of social values. Obviously a legal system was in place, and there was a high emphasis on being in good standing with others. I am not sure whether this is solely due to spiritual implications of being dishonest, but nonetheless it is important. There might also be evidence of the impact of missionaries, though that can not be concluded just from the scope of this text.