Las Disputes over memories of the conquest: the chronicle of Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl

Abstract

Memories of the Mesoamerican conquest were recorded in manuscripts known as the corpus of the chronicles of indigenous tradition that respond to a complex of temporal and spatial meanings, as well as the concerns of its authors regarding pre-hispanic cultures and their alliances. In this article, we study how the Compendio histórico de los reyes de Tetzcoco, of Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl, represents the war against Tenochtitlan and deals with the symbolic construction of the rulers of Tetzcoco. This chronicle is composed of thirteen Relaciones that explore the history of the Acolhua population in the eastern basin of Mexico. It represents the author's intention to insist on the recognition of his social position as a descendant of the most important allies of the army led by Hernán Cortés, a version that confronts the hegemony of theTenochca presence in the reorganization of the Spanish vicerroyal government.