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: Paperback / softback
Length: 314 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Ben Leeming presents a comprehensive transcription, translation, and study of two sixteenth-century Nahuatl religious plays, believed to be 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. These remarkable plays were discovered in the archives of the Hispanic Society of America in New York, nestled within a notebook of miscellaneous Nahuatl-Christian texts primarily authored by an Indigenous writer named Fabían de Aquino. Within these plays, Leeming uncovers a rich tapestry of references to human sacrifice, bloodletting, ritual divination, and other religious practices deemed "idolatrous" during a period when ecclesiastical authorities actively sought to suppress 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 figure known as the "Aztec Antichrist," a powerful Indigenous being 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 departure from traditional narratives, are portrayed as characters in the plays. Alongside the translations, Leeming provides valuable context and analysis, shedding light on these rare and fascinating examples of early Indigenous American literature. By delving into the complexities of Nahua interactions with Christianity in the early colonial period, this work serves as a valuable resource for students and scholars of Latin American religion, colonialism, Indigenous history, and early modern history and theater.

Weight: 418g
ISBN-13: 9781646422999