Bernardino de Sahagun: First Anthropologist (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780806142715)

He was sent from Spain on a religious crusade to Mexico to "detect the sickness of idolatry," but Bernardino de Sahag佖 (c. 1499-1590) instead became the first anthropologist of the New World. The Franciscan monk developed a deep appreciation for Aztec culture and the Nahuatl language. In this biography, Miguel Le-Portilla presents the life story of a fascinating man who came to Mexico intent on changing the traditions and cultures he encountered but instead ended up working to preserve them, even at the cost of persecution. Sahag佖 was responsible for documenting numerous ancient texts and other native testimonies. He persevered in his efforts to study the native Aztecs until he had developed his own research methodology, becoming a pioneer of anthropology. Sahag佖 formed a school of Nahua scribes and labored with them for more than sixty years to transcribe the pre-conquest language and culture of the Nahuas. His rich legacy, our most comprehensive account of the Aztecs, is contained in his Primeros Memoriales (1561) and Historia General de las Cosas de Nueva Espa (1577). Near the end of his life at age 91, Sahag佖 became so protective of the Aztecs that when he died, his former Indian students and many others felt deeply affected. Translated into English by Mauricio J. Mixco, Le-Portilla's absorbing account presents Sahag佖 as a complex individual-a man of his times yet a pioneer in many ways. Miguel Leon-Portilla Director of the Inter-American Indian Institute in Mexico City, Miguel Leon-Portilla is a significant young Mexican scholar. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees (summa cum laude) form Loyola University at Los Angeles and the Ph.D. from the National University of Mexico. La Filosof僘 N疉uatl, the Spanish version of this book, received high praise from both Mexican and American scholars. Mauricio J. Mixco is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Utah. He is the author of A Mandan Grammar and A Kiliwa Grammar.

Author: Miguel Leon-Portilla
ISBN-10: 0806142715
ISBN-13: 9780806142715
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Language: English
Published: 06/15/2002
Pages: 340
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.90d