Conquered Conquistadors: The Lienzo de Quauhquechollan, a Nahua Vision of the Conquest of Guatemala (review)

In recent years, scholars have discovered that many colonial pictorial manuscripts narrate very important information and can be used as tools in our understanding of the past. Florine Asselbergs’s work on the Lienzo de Quauhquechollan is an important contribution to this growing literature. Initially published in Europe in 2001, Asselbergs analyzes the lienzo and concludes that it is an early colonial native pictorial work that describes the participation by the natives of Quauhque-chollan (modern day San Martin Huaquechula, Puebla) in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, under the leadership of Pedro de Alvarado.

Asselbergs approached the lienzo with four goals. The first was simply to decipher its meaning: read the images. Second was to identify the people and places of the narrative. Third was to understand the deeper message and purpose of the artifact. Finally, she sought to place the lienzo in its context. This she has done admirably. The first chapters give an introduction to the problem, then expand on the theory and methodology to be used in the interpretation. This necessarily relies heavily on semiotics along with structural analysis. In the third chapter, she considers the history of Quauhquechollan and discusses other pictorial manuscripts generated outside the city.

The main section of the book deals with the systematic analysis of the lienzo. She begins with a description of the work and its history. She then moves on to give the historical context of the work, the events of the conquest of Mexico, and the utilization by Pedro de Alvarado of native troops in his conquest of Guatemala. In the next three chapters, Asselbergs discusses the techniques of Nahua pictorial manuscripts and sets forth a reading and interpretation of the specific story told by the lienzo. She compares this pictorial treatment with other native pictorials such as the Lienzo de Tlaxcala. The work finishes with a brief recapitulation and her conclusions. The book also includes a separate full color reproduction of the lienzo itself.

This is a complex and fascinating work based on a complex and fascinating document. The lienzo itself is on cloth, one of the largest such paintings in existence from the colonial period. Asselbergs does a careful analysis of nearly all aspects of the piece, looking loosely at the pictographs, the inscriptions, the colors, and juxtaposition of figures. She also does an exceedingly good job of comparing the piece to other similar works, in particular the Mapa de Cuauhtinchan No. 2. Other than the specific narrative outlined in each, the only major difference is that one was produced on paper (the Mapa) while the other was on cloth (the Lienzo). Her work is also firmly rooted in the historical context of the time; that the natives of Quauhque-chollan aided the Spaniards in their conquest of Guatemala, and the function of the work in helping to both create corporate identity and to serve as a reminder to colonial authorities of the important role of their native allies. Lastly, Asselbergs rightly points out that this work is the earliest map of Guatemala, and thus is an important historical document for that area as well.

This study fits in well with work by Carrasco and Sessions on the Mapa de Cuauhtinchan No. 2 and Diel on the Tira de Tepechpan, among other works, and is part of a general reassessment of colonial documents from native authorship, such as Stephanie Wood’s work on techialoyan manuscripts. It is an important contribution, well researched, well written, and thoughtful.