Contribution of Joaquín García Icazbalceta (1825-1894) to Mexican historiography

Abstract

The subject of this article is the research activity of Joaquín García Icazbalceta (1825-1894) – a historian, linguist and bibliographer who published a large number of documents on the history of Mexico, namely records on Spanish colonization of the Americas and establishment of the colonial system. Analysis is conducted the formation of scientific views of the Mexican scholar in the context of the impact of external factors, such as the political and socioeconomic situation, as well as public thought. This author reveals the historiographical and methodological foundation of the indicated concept, as well as assesses the degree of influence of the external factors upon the movement of Mexican historical science in late XIX century. Joaquín García Icazbalceta was a persevering scholar, who dedicated most of his life to collecting and publishing of the rare historical writings and documents. He is the author of a number articles, which although are not considered complete research works, are based on reputable sources and shed lights on some aspects of the ancient and colonial history of Mexico. Despite the seeming affinity for Spanish heritage in Mexican culture, Joaquín García Icazbalceta greatly contributed to research on the history of Aztecs, forming and leaving to the future generations of historians a substantial documentary base that allows discovering Mexican history of the XVI century, as well as other periods of history of the country.