Abstract

FERNANDEZ CHRISTLIEB, Federico  and  GARZA MERODIO, Gustavo. The Painting of the Relación geográfica on Metztitlán, 1579. Secuencia [online]. 2006, n.66, pp.161-186. ISSN 2395-8464.  https://doi.org/10.18234/secuencia.v0i66.985.

In 1577, the Spanish Crown commissioned maps and paintings to improve its knowledge of the territories under its rule in Las Indies. Two years later, the mayor of Merztitlán (in the state of Hidalgo) produced the painting analyzed in these pages and wrote the corresponding geographical description. In this article, we analyze the map, taking into account the elements drawn by the author but also pointing out omissions in the territory and landscape he sought to describe.The authors therefore conclude that there was a certain amount of manipulation, probably involuntary, in which a predominantly indigenous territory was only seen through western referents, thereby detracting from much of its content. To prove this, the authors conducted several field tours and analyzed contemporary maps of the area studied.

Keywords : New Spain; Metztitlán; altepetl; Indian towns; 16^th century maps; Relaciones geográficas.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )