Aztec Antichrist: Performing the Apocalypse in Early Colonial Mexico Volume 1

In Aztec Antichrist, Ben Leeming presents a transcription, translation, and study of two sixteenth-century Nahuatl religious plays that are likely the earliest surviving presentations of the Antichrist legend in the Americas and possibly the earliest surviving play scripts in the New World in any language. The plays are filled with references to human sacrifice, bloodletting, ritual divination, and other religious practices declared "idolatrous" by ecclesiastical authorities. They reveal how Nahuas made sense of Christianity and helped form its colonial image, with the title figure being a powerful Indigenous being who opposes the evangelizing efforts of the church and seeks to draw converted Nahuas back to the religious practices of their ancestors. The work is valuable to students and scholars of Latin American religion, colonialism, Indigenous history, and early modern history and theater.

Format: Hardback
Length: 314 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Ben Leeming's groundbreaking work, "Aztec Antichrist," presents a meticulous transcription, translation, and study of two sixteenth-century Nahuatl religious plays, believed to be the earliest surviving representations of the Antichrist legend in the Americas and possibly the earliest surviving play scripts in any language in the New World. These remarkable texts were discovered in the archives of the Hispanic Society of America in New York, nestled within a notebook of miscellaneous Nahuatl-Christian writings primarily authored by an Indigenous writer named Fabían de Aquino. The plays are rich with references to human sacrifice, bloodletting, ritual divination, and other religious practices deemed "idolatrous" during a period when ecclesiastical authorities actively sought to suppress any writing about Indigenous religion. These Indigenous plays, crafted specifically for an Indigenous audience, offer a profound insight into how the Nahuas interpreted Christianity and contributed to shaping its colonial image. At the center of these narratives is a formidable Indigenous figure known as the "Aztec Antichrist," who fiercely opposes the evangelizing efforts of the church and endeavors to reclaim converted Nahuas for the religious practices of their ancestors. These practices encompass a deep devotion to Nahuua deities such as Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl, and Tezcatlipoca, who, in a striking twist by Aquino, are portrayed as characters in the plays. Alongside the translations, Leeming provides valuable context and analysis, shedding light on these rare and captivating examples of early Indigenous American literature. This work holds immense significance for students and scholars of Latin American religion, colonialism, Indigenous history, and early modern history and theater. It provides a valuable window into the intricate dynamics of Nahua interactions with Christianity during the early colonial period, offering a rich and multifaceted perspective on this critical chapter in world history.

Weight: 535g
ISBN-13: 9781646422982