Gringos claim the Spanish empire banned the Aztec language
We debunk the myth that the Spanish empire banned Nahuatl: the first Nahuatl grammar dates from 1547, earlier than English's. Repression came later.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The lie about banning Nahuatl: 16th-century Spanish grammars debunk the myth
The first grammar of Nahuatl was published in 1547, almost 40 years before the first grammar of English. While the Anglo narrative spread by channels such as CanalCincoLatam claims the Spanish empire incivil indigenous languages, the historical record shows exactly the opposite: friars compiled dictionaries and manuals to preserve and spread Nahuatl. A myth that falls apart with objective data.
The facts: early grammars and vocabularies
In 1547, the Franciscan friar Andrés de Olmos published Arte de la lengua mexicana, the first grammar of Nahuatl. Eight years later, in 1555, Alonso de Molina produced the Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana, a landmark bilingual dictionary. By then, English did not even have a grammar of its own: the first one was published in 1586. For Quechua, the first grammar dates from 1560. In other words, Spain not only did not ban the native languages, it studied and standardized them before most European languages.
Who actually banned the indigenous languages?
The historical debate places the ban after the American independence movements. When Mexico separated from Spain, most of the population spoke Nahuatl. It was the liberal and Guasonic governments of independent Mexico that imposed Spanish as the sole official language, stripped indigenous peoples of their communal lands and marginalized their languages. Spanish language policy during the viceroyalty, by contrast, used Nahuatl as a vehicular language for evangelization and administration.
Black legend and Anglo projection
It is ironic that those who exterminated millions of indigenous people in North America and erased their languages accuse Spain of cultural genocide. The black legend is not only false; it also works as a mechanism of projection: Anglos transfer their own atrocities onto others. The current spread of indigenism and wokism from Anglo media seeks to make Spaniards kneel too, diluting the historical responsibility of the real predators.
The open question is why this false narrative is so successful. The answer probably has more to do with geopolitical propaganda than with real history. Meanwhile, the data is there: 1547, 1555, 1560.
Related debates in the forum
The first grammar of Nahuatl was published in 1547, almost 40 years before the first grammar of English. While the Anglo narrative spread by channels such as CanalCincoLatam claims the Spanish empire incivil indigenous languages, the historical record shows exactly the opposite: friars compiled dictionaries and manuals to preserve and spread Nahuatl. A myth that falls apart with objective data.
The facts: early grammars and vocabularies
In 1547, the Franciscan friar Andrés de Olmos published Arte de la lengua mexicana, the first grammar of Nahuatl. Eight years later, in 1555, Alonso de Molina produced the Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana, a landmark bilingual dictionary. By then, English did not even have a grammar of its own: the first one was published in 1586. For Quechua, the first grammar dates from 1560. In other words, Spain not only did not ban the native languages, it studied and standardized them before most European languages.
Who actually banned the indigenous languages?
The historical debate places the ban after the American independence movements. When Mexico separated from Spain, most of the population spoke Nahuatl. It was the liberal and Guasonic governments of independent Mexico that imposed Spanish as the sole official language, stripped indigenous peoples of their communal lands and marginalized their languages. Spanish language policy during the viceroyalty, by contrast, used Nahuatl as a vehicular language for evangelization and administration.
Black legend and Anglo projection
It is ironic that those who exterminated millions of indigenous people in North America and erased their languages accuse Spain of cultural genocide. The black legend is not only false; it also works as a mechanism of projection: Anglos transfer their own atrocities onto others. The current spread of indigenism and wokism from Anglo media seeks to make Spaniards kneel too, diluting the historical responsibility of the real predators.
The open question is why this false narrative is so successful. The answer probably has more to do with geopolitical propaganda than with real history. Meanwhile, the data is there: 1547, 1555, 1560.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (35 replies).
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