Bernard GRUNBERG (Ed.), Native writings and paintings, Paris, L’Harmattan, 2006

Summary The Codex Le Tellier de Reims ou comment les moines espagnols interprètent un codex aztèque, Michel Graulich The informations provided by the codices Telleriano-Remensis and Vaticanus A on the religion of the Aztecs have often been criticized, notably for their frequent parallels with the Bible and Christianity. This article shows that these truly precious informations are justified by real similarities and that in general their authors were qualified even if sometimes they invented or overdid similarities. From Symbolism to Interpretation : the 19th Trecena of the Codex Borbonicus, Jacqueline de Durand-Forest All the Codices dedicated to divination present the essential components of the divinatory calendar, i.e. the 20 Trecenas with their protectors, the 20-day signs and their respective number, the repeating series of divinatory patrons = the 9 night Lords and the 13 day Lords with their birds. But the Codex Borbonicus is among the rare documents that display additional elements, which we call the “secondary elements”. The 19th Trecena, taken as an example, is presided by Xochiquetzal, and to lesser degree, by a Coyote. Here, the “secondary elements” are 18 in number and may be divided into two groups according to their divinatory or apotropaïc nature. The first ones show how to turn aside the foretold bad luck by means of offerings, auto-sacrifice and human sacrifice. The “secondary elements” vary from one Trecena to the other according to their gods protectors, and contribute to reveal their true personality. As already observed for other Trecenas, the “secondary elements” bring out useful complementary information on the influence of the Trecena. In New Spain in the XVIth.c., the discovery of the native writing by the Spaniards, Anne-Marie Vié-Wohrer It will be shown in which circumstances the “books” were discovered in the mesoamerican area, according to the most important sources of the XVI th century. Also will be shown what were the reactions of the Spaniards when confronted with the “books” : first outright destructions ; then efforts of understanding ; finally using their writing tradition to their own ends. The nahuatl pictorial expression of History (XVIth century), Patrick Johansson K. Indigenous history, its conceptualization, its oral or graphic expression, the modalities of its retention and of its transmission suffered deep changes during the XVIth Century, the Conquest being of course, the generator of these changes. After having considered the notion of temporality, chronology, “past” as well as the tenor of oral and pictographic expression in its pre-Hispanic context, we briefly analyze the cultural metissage of native Elite and the consequences this fact had for the pictorial discourse of History, after the Conquest. We then consider the genres of nahuatl pictorial expression of History and their specific discursivity. The evangelization of Mexico’s Indians from the Central Mexico (XVIth century), Jacqueline de Durand-Forest

It is at the urgent request of Cortés that the Medicant Orders : Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians undertook the evangelization of Mexico’s Indians, their order of arrival determined their geographical repartition. Due to its call and aspiration, the Order of Saint Francis played a prominent role in this field. To overcome the barrier of language, its Members, like those of the other Mendicant Orders, or perhaps even more, became authentic linguists : they wrote Vocabularies, Artes ( Grammars)…, that allowed them to present the essential points of the Christian Doctrine in vernacular idioms. As to Sacraments, particularly Baptism and Ordination of Indians, the Franciscans proved more open-minded than the Dominicans.If all the Missionaries endeavored to eradicate idolatry, only the Minors understood that a throrough knowledge of idolatric practices, was a preliminary step to a true eradication. They arrived as Missionaries and became Educators and Ethnographers. Indian nobility. Central Mexico (acolhua province) in times of Charles V, Patrick Lesbre. Despite few forced alliances the Conquest started a chaotic period that carried on under the First Audiancia (1528-30). It was followed by a will of integration of the Indian nobility into the colonial society which honoured Spain but not without problems. Privileges were granted to Caciques such as inter-ethnic marriages and important local or national functions. If Charles V managed to settle a colonial society in which violence had been soothed, he didn’t manage to establish equality between the Indian elite and the Spanish settlers. Indeed the multiplicity of powers was no longer accepted so the local dynasties had to be reduced into one single legitimate founder. Moreover the access toreligious orders became a problem. Besides, there were abuses as regards tribute or corruption and the situation of the Caciques was not to be envious if we refer to the different testimonies. Thus, we can wonder about the function of the Cacique and his comprehension according to his social and colonial belongings. The Carrera de Indias Commands. Ship owners, commanders and ship pilots in the building of a relationship system between Iberian Peninsula and the West Indies (1492-1650), Grégoire Salinero. The management of the Carrera de Indias is a very hierarchized system composed with a wide range of authorities of trade and army: the King of Castilla himself ; members of West Indies Council; officers from the Casa de la Contratación (the sevillan organism which has been supervising trade exchanges with America since 1503), and mainly the judges and chief cosmographer. However, the main part of the organization is made up with individuals properly embarked: admirals and Captains of fleets prepared to make the crossing and mainly ship owners, Commanders, pilots and Captains. At the end of the 16th century, the number of sailors can be estimated between 7.000 and 8.000, and in all probabilities ship owners, commanders and pilots represent more than 1.000. Between 1492 and 1650, more than 400 files from the archivo de Indias in Sevilla deal with commanders and ship pilots. By the survey of these documents it is necessary to form relevant questions on the part played by each category of sailors in setting up relationships between Spain and America. At least, four main aspects required to be considered: consequences of communication centralization with the colonies from all along 16th and 17th centuries; the efficiency of a hierarchical organization for command and administration of the Carrera de Indias; effects of the multiplicity of regulations issued by the Crown and the modes of application, and most generally what was the attitudes of commanders with the law; at last, the evolution of relationships between sailors constituted in small independent groups and traders. The purpose of this article is to offer hypothesizes of work for each of these aspects. The oficiales de la real hacienda in New Spain, Michel Bertrand The aim of this research is to try to answer the two following questions: How is a research constructed and how is it developed ? On the one hand, starting from an investigation on the oficiales de la real hacienda in New Spain in 17th.c & 18th.c, it is necessary to put it back in the scientific context in which it was aroused and to bring more precise explanations before coming to a personnal conclusion. On the other hand, it will be necessary to bring out some of the main ideas of this research as well as the developements towards which such reflection can be disclosed. The aim is to put forward the different aspects dealing with the outcome of this work and make them easily fit into other contexts beside the Hispano-American one in which this work is rooted. The “patronized subdelegates” in the service of a trading and financial company: The Joaquin de Aldana’s system in the intendancy of Mexico (c. 1790- c. 1816), Mickaël Augeron.

In keeping with a pattern observed in other sectors of the colonial administration, the system of provincial governance was affected by a general trend towards the privatization of royal power, even within the world of the creoles. Through the example of the Mexican businessman, Joaquin de Aldana, this article offers a study of the strategies that led to a direct control of the subdelegations by the socioeconomic elite. Aldana built his fortune in the pulque trade before diversifying his activities and thereby his property. To increase his commercial and financial influence and wealth in real estate in the constituencies of San Cristobal Ecatepec and San Juan Teotihuacán, where he was from, he relied on favors from subdelegates whom he all patronized and whose appointments he had easily obtained from the intendant in Mexico. This influence on the subdelegations enabled him to control the Native workforce, to make his tiendas prosper, and to confront rival clans. To obtain and maintain the loyalty of his “patronized subdelegates”, not only did he resort to corruption, loans, and fianza, but he also promised to help the most deserving of them to move up socially and used his vast networks of relations to threaten those who refused to submit to his authority. The powerful families and the high clergy in Central America, 1753-1829, Christophe Belaubre This text presents the main points of my thesis on the relations between the Catholic Church and powerful families in colonial Central America from 1753 to 1829. The reader follows a methodology, which starts with a prosopographical analysis of individuals and their family organization. The analysis continues by identifying the political, intellectual and economic, as well as social, interests, which tied these individuals and families together in social networks. Building on the findings from this approach, I explore how such networks contributed to the complex phenomenon of the spread of Enlightenment ideas. The thesis then takes up the problems arising from defining the contours of the Catholic Church’s high clergy, stressing the impediments, such as weakness in local historiography, that prevent the development of a full analysis. This qualitative and dynamic approach to studying the high clergy positions us for a new reading of the role of the Church in the colonial economy that analyzes questions such as : did the Church have a singular power in this field ? And, if so, were there any objective reasons for it? In conclusion, two important historiographical problems are studied within the framework of Church power : the impact of the reforms 0initiated by the Bourbons during the second half of XVIIIth century and the failure of Central America’s federal project in the first half of XIXth century. “A Sovereign State of Every Village”. City, State et Nation in Central America, 1759-1839, Jordana Dym One of many revolutions that swept the Americas in the early nineteenth century was the establishment of new nation-states with republican governments that were independent not only of European sovereignty but also of European political systems based on monarchy. From Haiti to the United States to Argentina to Mexico, the process of securing political independence was followed by decades of experimentation with political instability marked by adoption of different forms of government, adjustment of constitutional foundations for unions of disparate provinces. My thesis uses the case study of Central America to argue that, in at least some parts of Spanish America, an important aspect of the political revolution underway was the identification of a need to shift from a classical European political philosophy based on municipal sovereignty -that of the pueblos- to a politics of national sovereignty- that of the pueblo. Rebel slaves and runaway slaves. The Archives as the source of an oral history, Martin Lienhard Deprived of written testimonies social groups or people developed oral history to enlighten their past. It was used during few trials against rebel or runaway slaves in the Caribbean towards the end of the XVIII th.c and the beginning of the XIX th.c. It gives a better insight of the more or less secret mechanism of the life of the slaves communities as well as a more concrete vision of the different kinds of rebelliousness used by the slaves. The Magazanistes, a deported community into the middle of the Portuguese Empire (Transit in Belem : 1769 - 1778), Laurent Vidal. In between 1770 and 1778 around 2000 people from the Portuguese forteress of Mazagao in Marocco, were settled temporarily in Belem (capital city of the state of Grao in Brasil) expecting a New Mazagao to be built. This article wants to show the various social and political experinces that emerged during the endless expectation bearing in mind the double point of view of the colonial administration and the deported persons.