Saturday, April 15, 2006

‘On Language’ 4/12 - Indigenous languages in Mexico

Impact of Cortez’s conquest is still felt today in Mexico
On Language
Chicago Tribune
April 12, 2006
By Nathan Bierma
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Mexico changed forever Aug. 13, 1521—the day Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez conquered Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire and site of present-day Mexico City.

Cortez’s men destroyed the city, killed thousands of Aztecs, and ushered in centuries of Spanish rule. They also introduced the Spanish language to an area with a variety of indigenous languages, most notably Nahuatl, the official language of the Aztec empire.

As a new book puts it, the Spanish conquest was the most drastic “clash of civilizations” in Mexican history.

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Posted by Nathan Bierma on 04/15 at 01:51 PM
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