Language in Service of the State: The Nahuatl Conterinsurgency Broadsides of 1810

Abstract

Fresh from the Spanish resistance at Cádiz, Francisco Javier Venegas de Saavedra had arrived in Mexico City in September 1810 just before the outbreak of the Hidalgo rebellion.1 The revolt posed both a challenge and an opportunity to the first viceroy to come from Spain since the beginning of the Napoleonic crisis. He could only suffocate the popular uprising by proving his government’s legitimacy on both the battlefield and the tricky ground of public sentiment. If he could win such a victory for Spain’s faltering authority in New Spain, he might win a new lease for colonial rule under the liberal order being born in the Cádiz Cortes. While zealously pursuing these goals, Venegas created probably the most candid portrait ever of the Spanish Empire’s ties to popular sovereignty in colonial Mexico.A key piece of the portrait w as two broadsides that Venegas had printed up in Nahuatl as Hidalgo’s rebellion swept through the Bajío.2 These were an eloquent précis of what Native American languages had meant to the Spanish seaborne empire. Aimed chiefly at the native communities (or altepetl) in the central heartland south of the revolt, both carried messages from the newly formed Regency Council at Cádiz.3 Both, likewise, tried to use the Nahuatl language to convince the altepetl to support colonial rule. One, larger though less significant, solicited money for the wars against Napoleon in a text dated September 22 but probably printed somewhat later. The other, of October 5, announced the historic abolition of tribute payments in New Spain.These broadsides shine a light on the subterranean linguistic network that connected the colonial state to its conquered subaltern cultures. Desperate measures of desperate times, they have exposed the Mesoamerican foundations of the colonial pax hispanica and the deep influence native languages wielded on imperial government. The broadsides abruptly ended a 40-year ban on these languages and mobilized Nahuatl in a hasty effort to defend the government with the reserves of residual legitimacy in royal insitutions. These reserves were a legacy from the formation of royal power in colonial Mexico in the imperative of building cross-cultural ties between Catholic Iberia and Mesoamerica. The Nahuatl broadsides became a unique means to tap into the cultural mes-tizaje intrinsic to this royal legitimacy through two of its strongest institutional expressions.Both emphasized the colonial state’s deep dependence on language, especially as written, above all else in the cultural mestizaje that underpinned royal power. One element was the Mesoamerican rhetorical canon and its rote formulae for social order based in myth. The other was the primacy of natural law and the written word in Spanish Catholic government. As further evidence of the central role of language, these traditions had flourished together in imperial administration alongside a sophisticated translation program adept at entwining the two. In 1810, Viceroy Venegas pittted the Nahuatl broadsides against the Hidalgo rebellion, hoping, it appears, they would tap this legacy through both medium and message. This article outlines the of these broadsides to the between native subaltern and power in colonial New Spain and broadsides a in against colonial rule into a for a the Hidalgo rebellion the from a of colonial to of a and subaltern in state formation at the of The cultural traditions of altepetl and both the and role in this the between language, and subaltern in colonial The broadsides as the of subaltern in state formation and to language for both and as its of the Hidalgo rebellion both colonial and Mexico and the role of and subaltern in the state a in its of the for have the and of and communities such as the of and the and popular and the liberal with and to and and liberal for the new and have the the to a new through the communities of power to in and in the these were at the of and the this an portrait of subaltern in it into the of what the for in the new and they for In the the of communities the of the Spanish colonial state and all of its a Mesoamerican of and formed The in with Mesoamerican before the Spanish communities in and the to state This would in of the with it such as a and a with a and it the of of that on two of and legacy was an of a but a of a and as in it as its in Mexico the from to to the to the on Mexico in with its Mesoamerican As as this the that a it to the of the the that and the with they on Mesoamerican only a in this these and of the between the colonial state and Mesoamerican the Nahuatl broadsides light on the cultural that the popular and of the The the cultural of the of with state and this it to his portrait of the of altepetl and the Spanish Catholic of Catholic and to in colonial a of cultural in New Spain’s the of he a to in an that on the of as its imperial into a in a that had of and Spanish against colonial rule had to native to a the before the Hidalgo rebellion, he the into Spanish and had The that would of this both the and the of the and The native communities that the new to these he but on the of imperial government to colonial under and was a that had the altepetl to colonial through the of the and The imperial for sovereignty with to the and the and and of its As and had the altepetl became on the and the Spanish order with and the of imperial authority as in the for to the of law and language to defend traditions of social the altepetl such as and to colonial with they had in the of the Catholic by and under its resistance in Mexico of all and all native the of to defend in colonial and in and against colonial the authority of the Catholic was a central The of the institutional of this especially to defend the altepetl up of the and to revolt and this was the of the it was an of the historic between altepetl and the imperial Spanish The in the the Nahuatl broadsides to in in the of and by the of subaltern as under rule. on the colonial of Mexico a of resistance and between altepetl and and its in the In of the the central role in the of colonial rule in communities and the into this In its to in the and against and a of in between and the with its and the carried the and from to it colonial government from a and a In the it the of in and a between and of by de of the between Mesoamerican and In the of had a to the cultural and subaltern influence he in for the of all languages but Spanish in the and it Nahuatl of public and The royal the it became law in Spanish for to all government for and altepetl to for this the of and in it central altepetl The ban on native languages into with the communities that had a between support for and Nahuatl and other the of of Nahuatl was its only central most language, it was the of New Spain’s administration a in native the in colonial and the it to linguistic against to its influence a that had for as he were a in the that it its it the with its this have the and of the to such a that to in the and to the the of the though imperial rule. He the Spanish language, had but a he as a of to only to Mexico but He that native to and Spanish in order to for of the to and only in the of but in the to and the of the of native languages in order that native would the language and and in the light of the to further communities to imperial it a between altepetl and the Spanish that the colonial had the other that the and of legitimacy for its of native at the of a of colonial traditions and a for popular of American The language of the that the Nahuatl broadsides a in the of 1810, in Mexico Nahuatl as a first language, and the of had against its it had in Nahuatl from government. the of Nahuatl that had the of the central altepetl had as native it in The ban on the of new and other in Nahuatl from New Spain’s this and a in altepetl with the 1810 of de would the against native languages but by the of native with the imperial administration had of to colonial rule in New Spain by at the of its American social of a of native it would a to the of and imperial and an of and imperial The these languages they were at the of the imperial that had of and New cultures. would the that had a for colonial rule through such cultural and as and of Spain’s had its strongest in native they most its the of the imperial and had the in colonial that the the central government of had Nahuatl in Mesoamerican of and authority with imperial The of in the these Nahuatl to the colonial government in two cultural they the institutional of by colonial law through a Mesoamerican In the of written in the a new government to altepetl through two of He the government with for the a but a as communities in the had for of these carried deep cultural such as the translation of as This to a by the and and the the and of altepetl He colonial rhetorical formulae into for the as imperial into the language, these broadsides an to the of that had these of colonial government to the Spain’s language had between a of and of this by the to natural had to native by with a that its was a of Spain by its on the Mesoamerican would the of this new order in the altepetl and Spanish the of its the of on its language Spain carried that authority into the New through its linguistic legacy of in new at language was to the language, as the was the and the was in native the two royal would this in such as the that for the native and the that in the altepetl for that the unique of colonial Mexico would native languages in the of the imperial Catholic the of Spain was in a to its the of Mesoamerica. the most in the and had the of in a in the of would its to by its government to the of this a new in as two under a to the of and natural This in government would on the Spain’s imperial Catholic in Mexico and the it for government the Spanish and its from this from the by its ties to popular and in the it would a central state the and through with two in One was the of to these and the that the but these newly were and what and they had under a to both from the native languages of Mesoamerica. The and a in the imperial of authority by these languages to written As by of authority in the Spanish on the of written language, in the that the written word was the of as in a language, to The to in and in a of linguistic that just a language but created a for the Catholic in was in the Spanish only through it languages such as Nahuatl that had in and became of colonial as royal authority had from the of in the and the of by altepetl central Mexico royal administration through all of its colonial and other languages imperial rule on ground against both Mesoamerican and the authority of the it the altepetl on ground in the Spanish by in the authority of the written the foundations for an through the and under the the of imperial authority into altepetl government and the a of the altepetl a means to imperial was the in this a that traditions of Mesoamerican legitimacy to of Spain’s imperial administration in an of linguistic from linguistic in a linguistic through with what the the use of in native communities the with of rhetorical the written word altepetl and empire. the royal and both and Mesoamerican formed a in imperial administration that subaltern influence on colonial two to the Catholic natural law and had central in the to to Mesoamerican and as the from the became the for especially written, the of in altepetl government the of in colonial this Mesoamerican of in its eloquent in in the and the to both the of and the it colonial this with natural law to language a of subaltern power in and the authority of to for it the colonial state to written as of and to of that from the to the Spanish the Catholic to in this rhetorical of altepetl government and to use it in the imperial it flourished in the Spanish in the the at an and of the imperial de de as a in Mexico its in government in a that the natural and the to to and to to what for the natural law subaltern into the written of imperial administration through its to both and the Mesoamerican rhetorical the Hidalgo revolt in 1810, subaltern had Spanish royal legitimacy in New Spain for by means of natural the written and Mesoamerican had the into altepetl government and an The altepetl for a of new linguistic into as they to colonial these in the colonial through the written word and the Mesoamerican the foundations of the colonial the Mesoamerican in language, through the use of for in such as in in in in this such as and These formed the rhetorical of and under colonial rule the of the Catholic and its written with altepetl The of a colonial rule for evidence the of between altepetl and imperial government. colonial altepetl of a that the of authority in in were with and under the and the with the the government with for the colonial rule the and as it the of just government. the altepetl in central Mexico had the in this rhetorical with the colonial of government as in in As it in and the new the legitimacy of two traditions at to the of natural law in rule on a such a between the Catholic and its American they state of a of with the written of written in the the the the created and to and authority in the the written word as the of imperial government. the imperial of written and natural law of power that had native languages deep into the of the empire. The colonial state from these a through government such as the and to the altepetl the While by of the native the colonial state had and of with the Mesoamerican the of the had through the of colonial administration that the Spanish to the of the altepetl a had and to a The of the means to the of a government Nahuatl by against the of such as the of on the altepetl an that had in the first of the in through a of native As this and the languages in it a that on translation and a for a colonial revolt only two Venegas his in Mexico City as New Spain’s He had come to the imperial legitimacy that the government had in the against viceroy he a rebellion that colonial rule to its an uprising that in on September with the revolt of and to of up to and Venegas he could to in the and in against he the challenge with a that the and on the As the through the and Mexico he up a to and the This was the first the government would to popular in New Spain through and its liberal the subaltern of the Catholic legitimacy in New the of the rebellion, and broadsides of the under the of two a from October to of these were in the first of the revolt, and the of government in 1810 was in of the Venegas had and the he would to against the of the Spanish to in the of most Nahuatl from to defend colonial Nahuatl broadsides were by the most piece of this but of the from the they both a new of public and a new of government to the native the on by public of as a from the viceroy in a native for the first ever they and conquered on linguistic of the of from the of 1810, only these broadsides with the of of the government’s the to and The of the on a linguistic by a of from the to have the liberal of the Regency Council and the influence in government. most of the Cádiz Venegas to of government and to support for the Spanish resistance in through public with the had for the of Nahuatl to public a by in Mexico and in 1810 had his de under as the first Nahuatl in the was the first new in Nahuatl since and it the in its In his to the the of his he could he into this but to that other language in and in the of He further against the by colonial the of and the and he and royal law had the of the for but the in Mexico were to the in they of it from with and was a he and a of it had to the a of the by a at the of he that the had to all of the as in the of by the effort of a he would have to in these languages would he have in the of Nahuatl and at the de he to the that of Catholic and of the of the that the all the language, it they and government and but that languages less that these of this of was in a to challenge in 1810, but he was from in his of native from Mexico he had as from the de de in and as in and before to the of Nahuatl in the de he the government to his and connected to a of in Mexico City in Nahuatl would had of native languages a deep of these historic role and the and had to two of and to the the to language a of American in these in his first in New to New he had with the of the rebellion in the of Spain’s American empire. at on he with colonial before in Mexico his in he have from the of Nahuatl to social order and the its the Regency Council in Cádiz had of the and had it in its the of an for the abolition of tribute in New with the rebellion from Mexico Venegas these to his in order to a based on the tribute the of a popular to Nahuatl up from the of the colonial order as the first of liberal to dated two the for to the Napoleonic the the to tribute was the for Nahuatl a of in the of The Regency Council had the in as the of its to a rebellion to in New since the had in September of a had the The for the Spanish Napoleon was that a might a uprising the that in in in the that on the most and for and tribute the had to popular support for with an abolition of as as word of this Cádiz, the newly formed Regency Council to such an by its royal to in the of an The the could just a to popular but to a from to the of royal legitimacy in New Spain in support of liberal the order it royal through it in with the liberal it to in Spain and its it to its for from and it would the most and it announced its to the of the for against The two were it the tribute abolition was but a of the that government would and the it would The Regency the to with all the other and for this as as for just they would have in the royal at The was a for popular support through In it the tribute payments that had in the since the into altepetl and in the it that and and that for the and of the Venegas a of this in he that he had it printed in Nahuatl to its by this The of Nahuatl against the Regency it that were but the of a to tap into popular from the and of the the to key of colonial to on of rule. in to and altepetl to the effort with but with a of authority through the of a between the language and Venegas would to his Nahuatl but his a liberal to with popular legitimacy through the Nahuatl language in the of of de had this to win with but to the social up by to native the and the native to in New Spain’s to the government’s legitimacy and the of the by the and by and of being in the altepetl of central Mexico would just the tribute but the colonial government’s The of all of these as de of the and the native with all being and that of and on to use the larger was that tribute abolition was but the of a colonial government a legitimacy formed through the with to that was the of native as as by and The linguistic would with native to through native languages and of the a linguistic to the native would the as his and rhetorical of his October 5, Venegas the abolition of in a that was to of these the the to in In its he its and its but these the as by the Regency The most of these was the of the abolition to the of the in the Venegas this to the the only to in and in that the other were rhetorical to the of and to for the to in the languages of the These in a that Venegas in the printed Nahuatl Nahuatl de a language to an of popular legitimacy for a new of liberal government. that only would the state a with the subaltern but that the would Venegas to the as had but to the Nahuatl translation in broadsides printed in a of only this a authority in public it of could Nahuatl were in The Nahuatl was to in though it would to the and its was to on the government’s with the dated October 5, the printed Spanish the Nahuatl translation October Venegas it to under a printed This the in the of the printed He the of the of and in the of of the in this the of this to the in the language, for to and in the of it was an of rhetorical that Venegas the broadsides t

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