Annals of Cuauhtitlan
Also known as: Anales de Cuauhtitlan
The Annals of Cuauhtitlan is a Nahuatl chronicle that interweaves myth, history, and genealogy, preserving Aztec cosmogonies, cultural memory, and dynastic succession.
Description
The Annals of Cuauhtitlan is one of the most important Nahua historical-mythological texts, compiled in the 16th century. Written in Classical Nahuatl, it preserves a blend of cosmogonic myths, tales of the gods, and the legendary history of early rulers. It includes the famous tale of Quetzalcoatl as priest-king of Tollan and details the Five Suns cosmogony. Part of the Codex Chimalpopoca manuscript, it serves as both a mythic genealogy and historical annal, merging mythic time with early post-Toltec chronology. The text offers a rare indigenous voice during the early colonial period, providing invaluable insight into how the Nahua themselves preserved their mythic and historical traditions.
Historiography
The Annals of Cuauhtitlan survive as part of the Codex Chimalpopoca, transcribed in the 16th century by Nahua scribes under colonial influence. Though preserved in a single colonial-era copy, it reflects older oral and pictorial traditions. Scholars debate its reliability as 'history,' but it remains a crucial indigenous record, studied alongside the Leyenda de los Soles. Modern editions and translations continue to shape understanding of Nahua myth-history.
Date Notes
Composed in Classical Nahuatl using Latin script by indigenous scribes after the Spanish conquest, likely based on earlier oral traditions.
Major Characters
- Huitzilopochtli
- Tenoch
- Acamapichtli
- Itzcoatl
- Moctezuma I
Myths
- Migration from Aztlan
- Founding of Tenochtitlan
- Reigns of the Mexica Kings
- Omens and the Coming of the Spaniards
Facts
- Part of the Codex Chimalpopoca manuscript.
- Written in Classical Nahuatl with Latin script.
- Compiled around 1570 by Nahua scribes.
- Blends myth, dynastic history, and cosmogony.
- Contains the Five Suns cosmogonic cycle.
- Preserves the story of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl as ruler of Tollan.
- Includes genealogies of early rulers.
- Offers a rare post-Conquest indigenous perspective.
- Often studied alongside the Leyenda de los Soles.
- A primary source for Aztec cosmology and myth-history.