Photo Description: Taken in downtown CDMX, this plaque shows a poem in both Spanish and Nahuatl.
Illustration and Significance: According to the description posted at the bottom of the plaque, oral tradition attributes this poem as the final message of the Nahua governing council of Tenochtitlán in 1521 after Spanish conquest. This message, the final act of government, urges preservation of language and culture for the next generations.
Connection to Themes
History: The plaque commemorates the fall of Tenochtitlán in 1521. According to an inscription beside the plaque, it was erected in 2018.
Identity: The poem is displayed in Spanish and Nahuatl, showing the importance of indigenous and Spanish influence on modern Mexican culture and reflecting efforts to preserve the Nahua language.
Culture: The message of the poem urges readers not to allow the Mexica culture to disappear, stating that future generations will remember how their ancestors stood up and fought back, and how their empire and culture will not disappear under Spanish rule.
Education: The poem also emphasizes teaching children, preserving knowledge, and remembering ancestors. The plaque itself is part of a growing effort to preserve and revive indigenous history in Mexico.
Personal Reflection: When we learn about the Colombian exchange and the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, most of the stories we hear are of mass death, destruction, and disease, not resilience. 1521 is treated, often, as a bookend to the Mexica/Aztec empire and existence of indigenous peoples. This poem and address proves that no, even after conquer and surrender, people did not accept defeat and erasure of their culture quietly as we are so often led to believe.
