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Description

A sheet of paper with a pictorial genealogy recorded in multicolored inks. The focal point of the genealogy is Juan Tepetzin, who is dressed in the dark cloak in the bottom center of the document. His forebears, who are depicted above him, are members of the native elite and they are wearing elegant cloaks and sandals and holding bouquets favored by the nobility. Tepetzin's ancestor Yxtletletzin is sheltered within a palace. The document is identified as being from Tlaxcala for a few reasons: the wooden stools on which Tepetzin's male relatives sit and the brick-like upper story of the palace are typical Tlaxcalan works, and similar bouquets and red-netted cloaks are found in the Lienzo of Tlaxcala, a narrative painting of Tlaxcala's Conquest-era history. In this document, two rectangles (one with five plants) were added after the genealogy was painted. These rectangles denote agricultural fields and indicate with the Nahuatl text that Juan Tepetzin took over some abandoned lands. The genealogy therefore relates to a land transfer.

Label

The <i>Genealogy of Juan Tepetzin</i> records the distinguished heritage and landholdings of a member of the Tlaxcalan elite, who appears at the bottom dressed in a dark <i>tilmatl</i>, or cloak. Such genealogies were important for land transfers in Tlaxcalan society, in which the nobility were prohibited from selling land to commoners. As a member of the indigenous elite, Tepetzin could also claim privileged status within the Spanish colonial system, which distinguished Indian nobles from their common brethren.<br /> <br /> <i><br /> La Genealog&iacute;a de Juan Tepetzin</i> registra la distinguida herencia y los terrenos de un miembro de la &eacute;lite de Tlaxcala, que aparece en la parte inferior vestido con un <i>tilmatl </i>oscuro, o capa. Tales genealog&iacute;as eran importantes para los traspasos de tierras en la sociedad de Tlaxcala, en la cual la nobleza ten&iacute;a prohibida la venta de tierras a plebeyos. Al pertenecer a la &eacute;lite ind&iacute;gena, Tepetzin pod&iacute;a reclamar sus derechos y privilegios dentro del sistema colonial espa&ntilde;ol, que distingu&iacute;a a la nobleza ind&iacute;gena de sus hermanos comunes.<br /> <br />

Credit Line

Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund and Henry L. Batterman Fund