Sounds and Silences in Nahua Narratives of the War in Mexico

This presentation examines Nahua memories of the sounds and silences of war in Book 12 of the Florentine Codex. Both the alphabetic texts and images shed light on Nahua aural memories of the initial encounter between Mexica and Spaniards, the outbreak of war in Mexico Tenochtitlan, and the aftermath of the Mexica’s defeat. Particular attention will be paid to the ways that the Nahua authors and artists described and represented sound to signal pivotal shifts of power and the psychological toll of war.