Miguel Leon-Portilla (1926) is a Mexican philosopher, historian, anthropologist and writer, distinguished in the world of letters for his studies of Nahuatl. His main interest has been focused on the Mexican indigenous peoples of the pre-Hispanic stage, especially in their traditions, customs, thoughts and beliefs..
León-Portilla's work is a vindication of the origins of the Mexican people, and has also sought to keep both indigenous literature and languages, especially Nahuatl, current. His dedication and perseverance have earned him a wide number of recognitions and awards.
Some of the most outstanding titles developed by the Mexican philosopher have been: Nahuatl philosophy studied in its sources, Vision of the vanquished, The reverse of the conquest Y Fifteen poets of the Nahuatl world. León-Portilla is one of the main defenders of indigenous values.
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Miguel was born on February 22, 1926, in Mexico City, into a family of intellectuals and historians. His parents were Miguel León Ortiz and Luisa Portilla Nájera. He was related to the archaeologist Manuel Gamio, and to Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, a precursor of Mexican modernism..
León-Portilla's first years of education were spent in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Later he pursued higher studies in the arts at Loyola University, in Los Angeles, United States. Then, in 1956, he received a doctorate in philosophy from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Miguel León-Portilla began to develop quickly in the professional area. In 1955 he began his relationship with the Inter-American National Indigenous Institute, first as deputy director and then as director, positions that he held until 1963.
Later, as of 1963, he served as the main authority of the Institute of Historical Research of the UNAM. From that time were his works The ancient Mexicans through their chronicles and songs Y The reverse of the conquest. Aztec, Mayan and Inca relationships.
The philosopher married Ascensión Hernández Triviño, a Spanish philologist and linguist, in 1965, whom he met in Barcelona in 1964, during the International Congress of Americanists. As a result of the marriage, their daughter María Luisa León-Portilla Hernández was born.
Miguel León-Portilla devoted himself largely to publicizing the work that Fray Bernardino de Sahagún had done on Mexico before the Spanish conquest. In addition to naming him as the first anthropologist of the Nahua, he also revalued and gave rise to the works of the Spanish.
Miguel León-Portilla has remained in force throughout his life, both in the field of history, as in that of research and philosophy. Since 1957 he has taught at the UNAM, and at the same time has been an emeritus researcher at the Institute of Historical Research of the same university.
The philosopher has crossed borders with his different projects and research. In addition to giving talks and conferences worldwide, he has also been part of the Institute of Different Civilizations of Belgium, of the Society of Americanists of France, of the Mexican Society of Anthropology, and other recognized associations..
León-Portilla, since his beginnings as a professional, has worked in different areas of research in his country. He studied the pre-Hispanic cultures that inhabited central Mexico, and also worked for the protection of indigenous rights.
His projects also covered Hispanic humanism, the ways of interrelation of cultures between the northwestern part of Mexico and the southwestern part of North America. Finally, he conducted studies on the ethnohistory of Baja California and on the Nahuatl culture.
The last years of Miguel León-Portilla's life he has lived in the exercise of his profession, and receiving recognition. Among his latest writings are: Nahuatl philosophy studied in its sources, Francisco Tenamaztle, The arrow on the white Y Bernardino Sahagún, pioneer of anthropology.
Some of the awards he has received are: Grand Cross of the Order of Alfonso X, Alfonso Reyes International Award, Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Seville, among others. In January 2019, he was admitted to the hospital for respiratory conditions, and his recovery has been slow..
Miguel León-Portilla's philosophy has been based on the knowledge of the Mexican pre-Hispanic past, in order to understand the present, and, as a people, reach a conscious state of knowledge. The writer has argued that before the conquest, the natives already had their own literature and history.
The historian also considers art, within his philosophy, as a way of knowing and knowing; all this with a good base, by virtue of the fact that ancient peoples even used it to communicate. From there León raises the appreciation of Mexicans for their own, to be able to accept the present and the future.
- Editor of Nahuatl Culture Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, 1959.
- Member of the Mexican Academy of the Language, in 1962. He occupied the VII chair.
- Corresponding member of the Cuban Academy of the Language.
- Director of the Inter-American Indian Institute from 1960 to 1966.
- Elías Sourasky Award, in 1966.
- Director of the Institute of Historical Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, from until 1976.
- Member of the Mexican Academy of History in 1969. He occupied seat XVII.
- Member of El Colegio Nacional, in 1971.
- Commendatore for the Italian Republic, in 1977.
- Serra Award, by the Franciscan American Academy of History, in 1978.
- National Prize of Sciences and Arts, in 1981.
- Alonso de León Award, in 1982.
- Member of the Governing Board of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, from 1976 to 1986.
- Honorary member of the Seminary of Mexican Culture.
- Doctor Honoris Causa by Dé Toulouse Le Mirail (France), in 1990.
- Aztlán Award, in 1992.
- Benito Juárez Medal by the Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics, in 1992.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Colima, in 1994.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (Bolivia), in 1994.
- Belisario Domínguez Medal in 1995, by the Senate of the Republic of Mexico.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from Brown University (United States), in 1996.
- Doctor Honoris Causa by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, in 1998.
- Grand Cross of the Order of Alfonso X, El sabio (Spain), in 1999.
- Order of the Academic Palms in rank of commander (France), in 2000.
- Alfonso Reyes International Award, in 2000.
- Bartolomé de las Casas Award (Spain), in 2000.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the Carolina University (Prague), in 2000.
- Menéndez Pelayo International Award, in 2001.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from San Diego State University (United States), in 2002.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the Ibero-American University of Mexico City, in 2002.
- Doctor Honoris Causa by the Pontifical University of the State of Hidalgo, in 2007.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the Autonomous Metropolitan University of Mexico, in 2009.
- Juan de Mairena Award, in 2010.
- Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Guadalajara, in 2010.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Alcalá (Spain), in 2010.
- Letras de Sinaloa Award, in 2012.
- Anahuac Medal in Humanities, in 2012.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the Pontifical University of Mexico, in 2014.
- Fray Bernardino de Sahagún Medal, in 2014.
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, in 2016.
- Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Seville, in 2017.
- Nahuatl philosophy studied in its sources (1956).
- Seven Essays on Nahuatl Culture (1958).
- Vision of the defeated (1959).
- The ancient Mexicans through their chronicles and songs (1961).
- The reverse of the conquest. Aztec, Mayan and Inca relationships (1964).
- Time and reality in Mayan thought (1968).
- Mexico-Tenochitlán, its space and sacred times (1979).
- The multilingual toponymy of Mexico: its millennial strata (1979).
- Hernán Cortés and the South Sea (1985).
- Cartography and Chronicles of Ancient California (1989).
- Fifteen poets of the Nahuatl world (1993).
- Francisco Tenamaztle (nineteen ninety five).
- The arrow hits the target (nineteen ninety six).
- Bernardino de Sahagún, pioneer of anthropology (1999).
This work dealt with León-Portilla's thesis to obtain his doctorate in philosophy, under the guidance of Father Ángel María Garibay. It was structured by a prologue, developed by the clergyman, an introduction and six chapters.
The work dealt with the Aztecs, and how they sought to have a broad vision and knowledge of the world, even when they did not have an established philosophy. In addition, he developed his ideas about the thoughts that the Nahuatl had about humanity.
This work consolidated the knowledge that Mexico and the world had about the pre-Hispanic peoples, and cleared up doubts about the origins and evolution, as well as the intervention of the Spanish. Such was the impact caused that it was translated into languages such as Russian, German and English. It has been edited more than ten times.
“Such is the implicit affirmation of a free will modifiable by education. We do not know what were the ultimate reasons that could engender in the 'tlamatimine' a similar confidence in the power of education, creating faces, and humanizing wills..
Perhaps, more than abstract arguments, the very results of his educational system were the best proof of an intuitive character. In other words, the undeniable fact of the formation of men with well-defined moral traits of which history has preserved some names: Motecuhzoma, Cuauhtémoc ... ".
The full name of this chronicle written by León-Portilla was Vision of the defeated. Indigenous relations of the conquest. It is considered one of the best known works of the Mexican, it was about the narrations that the natives wrote about the colonization of the Spanish to Mexico.
The main idea of the author was to show a broad vision of how the indigenous lived the experience of the conquest. To do this, he used a series of documentation written in Nahuatl, such as: Mexican songs Y Florentine Codex of the Spanish friar Bernardino de Sahagún.
The work was structured in seventeen chapters, plus a complement. In addition, it was divided into three sections. In the first, the documents that attested to the situation of the Indians were reflected, before the Spanish conquered the Aztec soil..
In the second part, the author revealed how the Spanish journey to Tenochtitlán was like, and the way in which they related to the indigenous people. Finally, he referred to the arrival at the site, and the battle that broke out between the natives and the foreigners.
Some of the historical episodes developed by León-Portilla were:
- "Before the Spanish arrived".
- "The march of the Spanish towards Tenochtitlán".
- "The Cholula Massacre".
- "The Spanish in Tenochtitlán".
- "The massacre of the main temple".
- "The sad night".
- "The site of Tenochtitlán by the Spanish".
- "List of the Tlatelolco reports".
The account of this event is one of the most important and outstanding in the work of the Mexican philosopher. The event dealt with the conflict that arose between the Tlaxcalans and the Spanish. For its elaboration, the author used notes from the Florentine Codex, who claimed that it was initiated by the defense of the natives of their interests.
On the other hand, the version of the Codex Ramírez, independent writings, where it was expressed that the Spanish were well received by Prince Ixtlilxótchitl. In this way, Miguel León-Portilla managed documented information on pre-Hispanic events.
In this part of León-Portilla's work it was narrated, based on Florentine Codex of Sahagún, the attempted escape of the Spaniards from Tenochtitlan. However, they were discovered, the battle began, and with fewer Spaniards, they prevailed, and the natives lost lives and gold..
The relevance of this work by the Mexican was so great that it was published several times. After the first, in 1959, twenty-nine more followed. In 2007 two chapters were added: "What followed" Y "Tlaxcaltecáyotl ".
The sections that were annexed contained some experiences and experiences that were translated from Nahuatl. In addition to a correspondence to Felipe II, where the natives told him about the abuses of the Spanish; and finally a hymn in the language of the natives.
The development process of the work took place thanks to the interest that León-Portilla had in making history known before and during the colonization. So he learned the Nahuatl language, to be able to investigate the documents. The identity and preservation of memories were his main objectives.
“… The conquerors show their interest in gold. When the Spaniards had settled in, they then interrogated Motecuhzoma regarding the resources and reserves of the city; the warrior insignia, the shields; They searched for him a lot and they required a lot for the gold.
And Moctecuhzoma then guides them. They surrounded him, they clung to him. He was in the middle, he was in front of them. They squeeze it, they carry it around ... ".
"Ihcuac thalhtolli ye miqui
mochi in teoyotl,
cicitlaltin, tonatiuh ihuam metztli;
mochi in tlacayotl,
neyolnonotzaliztli ihuan huelicamatiliztli,
ayocmo neci
inon tezcapan.
Ihcuac tlahtolli ye miqui
mocha tlamantli in cemanahuac,
teoatl, atoyatl,
yolcame, cuauhtin ihuan xihuitl
ayocmo nemililoh, ayocmo tenehualoh,
tlachializtica ihuan caquiliztica
ayocmo nemih ... ".
"When a tongue dies
divine things,
stars, sun and moon;
human things,
think and feel,
are not reflected anymore
in that mirror.
When a tongue dies
everything in the world,
seas and rivers,
animals and plants,
they neither think nor pronounce
with glimpses and sounds
that no longer exist ... ".
- "To guide the men who were to live here it was necessary to rescue the roots of ancient culture, the testimony of memory, the consciousness of history".
- "I am not a fungus, far from having been trained in isolation, there have been several teachers who have influenced me, Mexicans and foreigners".
- “… I am convinced that the presence of these and many other exiles was a huge benefit for Mexico. What Mexico won, Spain lost ".
- “The problem is that globalization can affect and even destroy the cultural values of other peoples. It homogenizes them, but it is not usually aimed at achieving a situation of equality but at economic conquests ".
- "I am one of those who believes that we can learn a lot from the native peoples of America, Africa and Asia".
- “History, like the arts and the great humanistic creations, constitute by themselves its permanent value. Of course, they do not have a chrematistic purpose, but are the very thing that enriches the human being due to its intrinsic value ".
- "The chronicle and the history of victors and losers in America provide valuable lessons and their reading illuminates the significance of contemporary experiences".
- "A Mexican who does not know that legacy (the pre-Hispanic one) is unable to know himself".
- “The specialists affirm that, together, the prehistoric times and the ancient history of central Mexico span at least ten thousand years. Compared this period with the three hundred years of colonial life and the century and a half of a modern independent nation, it will be seen that it is appropriate to call the pre-Hispanic millennia subsoil and root of present-day Mexico ".
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