Exclusive Monotheism and Sahagún’s Mission: The Problem of Universals in the First Book of the Florentine Codex

Josefrayn Sánchez-Perry

doi:10.3390/rel12030204

Abstract

This article outlines the missionary methods of the Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagún, his interaction with Nahua communities in central Mexico, and the production of a text called the Florentine Codex. This article argues that the philosophical problem of universals, whether “common natures” existed and whether they existed across all cultures, influenced iconoclastic arguments about Nahua gods and idolatry. Focusing on the Florentine Codex Book 1 and its Appendix, containing a description of Nahua gods and their refutation, the article establishes how Sahagún and his team contended with the concept of universals as shaped by Nahua history and religion. This article presents the Florentine Codex Book 1 as a case study that points to larger patterns in the Christian religion, its need for mission, and its construal of true and false religion.

Highlights

In 2021, the country of Mexico will hold the 500th-year commemoration of the occupation of Mexico City by Hernando Cortés, his band of Spaniards, and the Indigenous allies that helped him to secure victory at Tenochtitlan, one of three city-states of the Aztec empire
I am aware that readers are more familiar with “Aztec” than more specific terminology, such as Nahua or Mexica, Tlatelolcan, Tlacopan, or Tetzcocan
Assessing the overall argument of the Florentine Codex Book 1 in its entirety, readers were meant to travel from a description of the Nahua gods, to their refutation, and arrive at accepting they were false

Summary

Introduction

In 2021, the country of Mexico will hold the 500th-year commemoration of the occupation of Mexico City by Hernando Cortés, his band of Spaniards, and the Indigenous allies that helped him to secure victory at Tenochtitlan, one of three city-states of the Aztec empire Moving forward, I use the term “Nahua”, which is a derived ethnic name from Nahuatl, the language of the area. The “Aztecs” were a political alliance between the city-states of Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco, Tlacopan, and Tetztcoco. I am aware that readers are more familiar with “Aztec” than more specific terminology, such as Nahua or Mexica, Tlatelolcan, Tlacopan, or Tetzcocan

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