Bernardino de Sahagún biography explores his role as guardian of Nahua memory

Zunzunegui's latest biography delves into the life of Bernardino de Sahagún (c. 1499-1590), a Franciscan friar renowned for his documentation of Nahua culture in New Spain. Originating from Sahagún, León, and having studied at the University of Salamanca, he made his way to New Spain in 1529. Immersing himself in Nahuatl and engaging with indigenous elites, he authored the 'Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España,' which safeguarded oral traditions and poetry. Zunzunegui depicts Sahagún as an intellectual who understood the significance of language in shaping worldview, linking 16th-century New Spain to the Nahua cosmos and portraying him as a guardian of indigenous history rather than a conqueror.